IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Gorgeous portraits of endangered species draw attention to their plight

A waxy monkey frog, a chameleon and an elephant are some of the world's rarest and most stunning species. Photographer Joel Sartore captures these beautiful zoo animals in striking portraits. Sartore, a National Geographic photographer from Nebraska, created the "Biodiversity Project" to highlight the importance of the animals and encourage people to pay closer attention to endangered speci
Black-footed ferret.
Black-footed ferret.Joel Sartore/Nat Geo Stock/Caters News

A waxy monkey frog, a chameleon and an elephant are some of the world's rarest and most stunning species. Photographer Joel Sartore captures these beautiful zoo animals in striking portraits. 

A veiled chameleon.
A veiled chameleon.Joel Sartore/Nat Geo Stock/Caters News
A female African elephant.
A female African elephant.Joel Sartore/Nat Geo Stock/Caters News
Black-footed ferret.
Black-footed ferret.Joel Sartore/Nat Geo Stock/Caters News
A waxy monkey frog.
A waxy monkey frog.Joel Sartore/Nat Geo Stock/Caters News
A gray wolf.
A gray wolf.Joel Sartore/Nat Geo Stock/Caters News
A grizzly bear.
A grizzly bear.Joel Sartore/Nat Geo Stock/Caters News
A hippopotamus.
A hippopotamus.Joel Sartore/Nat Geo Stock/Caters News
A captive, five-month-old mandrill.
A captive, five-month-old mandrill.Joel Sartore/Nat Geo Stock/Caters News
California tiger salamander.
California tiger salamander.Joel Sartore/Nat Geo Stock/Caters News
Joel Sartore photographs an American crocodile at the Omaha Zoo.
Joel Sartore photographs an American crocodile at the Omaha Zoo.Joel Sartore/Nat Geo Stock/Caters News

Sartore, a National Geographic photographer from Nebraska, created the "Biodiversity Project" to highlight the importance of the animals and encourage people to pay closer attention to endangered species.

Though he started with amphibians, today he photographs "anything that will hold still on a background long enough for me to take a picture," he said on his website.

These photos were all taken between 2006 to 2010, a lengthy project due to the extensive travelling to remote parts of the world to find and photograph the rare species. The photos are featured in a recently released book entitled "Rare."