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)

Brazilian actress Julia Stockler (L) and Brazilian actress Carol Duarte kiss while posing with Brazilian film director Karim Ainouz during a photocall for the film “A Vida Invisivel de Euridice Gusmao (The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao)” at the 72nd edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 20, 2019. (Photo by Stephane Mahe/Reuters)

A Russian peacekeeper shouts “No pictures!” at a checkpoint outside the city of Stepanakert on November 13, 2020, during a ceasefire in the military conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Russian began deploying 2,000 peacekeepers to Nagorno-Karabakh on November 10 after Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed a peace deal to end weeks of fierce fighting over the disputed region. (Photo by Alexander Nemenov/AFP Photo)

Abby Dow (L) of England scores a try during the Women's Rugby World Cup Semi Final match between Canada and England at Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand, 05 November 2022. (Photo by Aaron Gillions/EPA/EFE)

Fans of Argentina react while watching the live broadcast of the Qatar 2022 World Cup final football match between Argentina and France in Buenos Aires, on December 18, 2022. (Photo by Luis Robayo/AFP Photo)

A worker sits as illegally harvested sandalwood confiscated by Kenya's multiagency security teams is set ablaze to curb the trade in their essential oil, which is extracted to manufacture medicines and cosmetics at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) offices along Kiambu road in Nairobi, Kenya on February 28, 2023. (Photo by Monicah Mwangi/Reuters)

Mortuary Chamber of the Ponte San Pietro Hospital in the Province of Bergamo on March 18, 2020 – the area in Italy where the highest number of infections was recorded by COVID19 Coronavirus. (Photo by Carlo Cozzoli/IPA/SIPA Press/Rex Features/Shutterstock)