A portfolio to save the world’s animals

National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore is on a mission to take studio portraits of the world's endangered species. And more than 1,800 photos later he's not finished. In this image he captured the essence of Hasari, a three-year-old cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus), at White Oak Conservation Center.

Golden lion tamarins at Lincoln Children's Zoo. .


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A southern three-banded armadillo (Tolypeutes matacus) at the Lincoln Children's Zoo, Lincoln, Neb.

The southern three-banded armadillo is considered 'near threatened' by the IUCN Species Survival Commission and its population is decreasing.

NBC's Anne Thompson observes a photo shoot with an endangered African dwarf crocodile at the Lincoln Children's Zoo in Lincoln, Neb.

A ring-tailed lemurs from the Lincoln Children's Zoo.

A North American Porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) at the Great Plains Zoo.

Red-necked wallaby at the Lincoln Children's Zoo.

Coyote puppies (Canis latrans).

A male African lion named 'Mr. Big' at the Omaha Zoo.

Coquerel's sifaka (Propithecus coquereli) at the Houston Zoo.

A giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) at Zoo Atlanta.

The Giant Panda is an endangered species.

A young mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.

West African dwarf crocodile at Lincoln Children's Zoo.

Budgett's frog (Lepidobatrachus laevis) at the Baltimore Aquarium.

Black tufted-eared marmoset at Lincoln Children's Zoo. .


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A spectacled owl (Pulsatrix perspicillata).

Carribean flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber) and Vulturine guineafowl (Acryllium vulturinum) at the Lincoln Children's Zoo.

Joel Sartore, a 20-year contributor to National Georgraphic magazine, launched the Biodiversity Project to profile the unique and valuable characteristics of each endangered animal.

Sartore has photographed more than 1,800 species so far, with more to come.