The National Geographic Photo Ark is a travelling exhibition of photographer Joel Sartore’s quest to create a photo archive of biodiversity around the world. So far, Sartore has captured studio portraits of more than 6,000 species – a number that he hopes to double. On 1 July, the ark will open at Melbourne zoo – the first time it has been exhibited in the southern hemisphere. More than 50 portraits will be on display, including many of Australian endangered animals being protected by programs at the zoo itself. These captions have been edited from text supplied by Melbourne zoo. Here: Barking owl. (Photo by Joel Sartore/National Geographic Photo Ark/The Guardian)

Pregnant Tibetan antelopes move across the Qinghai-Tibet highway in Hoh Xil, northwest China's Qinghai Province, May 29, 2023. A growing number of pregnant Tibetan antelopes are migrating to the heart of northwest China's Hoh Xil National Nature Reserve to give birth, according to the reserve's management office. Every year, tens of thousands of pregnant Tibetan antelopes start their migration to Hoh Xil in around May to give birth and leave with their offspring in late July. (Photo by Xinhua News Agency/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

A pregnant woman poses on June 19, 2018 in Vertou, western France. France had an estimated population of 68.4 million by January 1, 2024, representing a further year-on-year increase of 0.3 percent, limited by a marked drop in the birth rate, the INSEE national statistics bureau of France reported on January 16, 2024. In 2023, 678,000 babies were born in France, 6.6 percent fewer than the previous year, the lowest number of births in any year since 1946. Over the same period, there were 631,000 deaths, down 6.5 percent on 2022, a year marked by the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic and episodes of extreme heat. (Photo by Loic Venance/AFP Photo)

South Korean environmental activists wearing masks symbolizing the coronavirus attend a prevention campaign as South Koreans take measures to protect themselves against the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) on March 30, 2020 in Seoul, South Korea. South Korea has called for expanded public participation in social distancing, as the country witnesses a wave of community spread and imported infections leading to a resurgence in new cases of COVID-19. According to the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday, 78 new cases were reported. The total number of infections in the nation tallies at 9,661. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

A woman wears a mask while carrying a dog in the street on January 22, 2020 in Wuhan, Hubei province, China. A new infectious coronavirus known as “2019-nCoV” was discovered in Wuhan as the number of cases rose to over 400 in mainland China. Health officials stepped up efforts to contain the spread of the pneumonia-like disease which medicals experts confirmed can be passed from human to human. The death toll has reached 17 people as the Wuhan government issued regulations today that residents must wear masks in public places. Cases have been reported in other countries including the United States, Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea. (Photo by Getty Images/China Stringer Network)

Garrison Ireland Leigon member John O'Dwyer dressed as the character Darth Vader looks out towards Skellig Michael island on May 4, 2019 in Portmagee, Ireland. The latest Star Wars movies such as The Last Jedi have featured the famous Skellig Michael islands situated off the coast of the small Irish fishing village. The May the Fourth Star Wars festival is taking place in the small County Kerry village for the second year running as millions of fans worldwide celebrate the science fiction series. The quiet costal setting has seen a sharp rise in the number of tourists and fans visiting the area. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

Penguins Momo and Omochi are seen while the projection mapping images is being cast during a media preview for their free online animal shows for children and families staying at home during Golden Week holidays due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdown, at the Aqua Park Shinagawa in Tokyo, Japan on April 30, 2020. (Photo by Issei Kato/Reuters)

In this photo taken Tuesday, October 14, 2014, skulls and bones are stacked at the Catacombs in Paris, France. The subterranean tunnels, stretching 2 kilometers (1.24 miles), cradle the bones of some 6 million Parisians from centuries past and once gave refuge to smugglers. The site used to close at 5 p.m., but is now staying open until 8 p.m. The change is mainly aimed at allowing more people to visit and reducing long lines, since it can only hold a limited number of people at a time and visits can't be reserved in advance. (Photo by Francois Mori/AP Photo)