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Joel Sartore’s Photo Ark has documented 18,567 animal species, according to a report published by Colossal, as the project works toward a goal of more than 25,000. Begun in 2006, it pairs animal portraits with education and conservation initiatives; the project’s count remains short of its stated target.
Joel Sartore’s Photo Ark has documented 18,567 animal species, according to a report published by Colossal, bringing the National Geographic photographer’s long-running project closer to its goal of portraying more than 25,000 species. The archive uses animal portraits to build public interest in biodiversity and conservation, though the report does not give a date for the count beyond describing it as current at publication.
Sartore began the project in 2006 in Lincoln, Nebraska, setting out to create a photographic record of animal diversity. The report says he documents around 1,000 animals a year, working with zoos, aquariums, wildlife sanctuaries, researchers and conservationists. Its stated target is a catalogue of more than 25,000 species, meaning the reported total of 18,567 is an interim count rather than a completed archive.
Photo Ark portraits place animals against plain black or white backgrounds, drawing attention to individual features and expressions. The report notes that the documented subjects include a recently discovered cat species in Bolivia. It also lists animals photographed at institutions including the Houston Zoo, Dallas World Aquarium, Columbus Zoo and Auckland Zoo, among them endangered and vulnerable species.
The project has expanded beyond photography. In 2023, the Photo Ark Species Impact Initiative began awarding grants to conservationists, according to the report. National Geographic also makes related educational material available through classrooms, publications and broadcasts. The source does not specify the number or value of grants, or how many students have used the educational resources.
How Portraits Support Conservation
The reported count gives a measure of the scale of a project designed to make biodiversity visible through individual animal portraits. Sartore’s approach focuses on direct, uncluttered images rather than statistics alone; the intended connection between a viewer and an animal is central to the project’s conservation message. The portraits may help introduce audiences to species they would not otherwise encounter, but the source does not provide research measuring how much the photographs change public attitudes or behavior.
Photo Ark’s grant and education programs extend that effort beyond the archive itself. Grants can support conservationists’ work, while classroom and media materials put the project in front of audiences beyond photography enthusiasts. The report identifies these activities, but does not detail their funding, reach or results. The distinction matters: the number of species photographed is a project output, not by itself evidence of a particular conservation outcome.
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From Nebraska Project to Global Archive
When Sartore began photographing animals in his hometown in 2006, he saw bold, straightforward portraits as a way to connect viewers with wildlife, according to the source report. The undertaking grew into a collaboration with facilities and specialists who can help document animals in their care. The report describes the project as representing a small fraction of life on Earth, even as its accumulated catalogue has reached 18,567 species.
Sartore has described public engagement as a goal alongside documentation. “I want people to care, to fall in love, and to take action,” he said, as quoted in the report. National Geographic characterizes the portraits as treating each animal with equal affection and respect. That is the organization’s description of the project’s approach, rather than an independently measured assessment of its impact.
““It’s the eye contact that moves people.””
— Joel Sartore, as quoted in the Colossal report
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What the Species Count Leaves Open
The source report gives a total of 18,567 animals and says Sartore’s goal is more than 25,000 species, but it does not provide a dated project database or explain how the total is verified. It is also unclear how the project defines a species for counting purposes, or whether every photographed animal is represented by a publicly available portrait. The reported figure should therefore be understood as the count given at publication, not a live tally.
The report does not set a completion date or spell out how the recent discovery of a cat species in Bolivia affects the archive’s total. Nor does it provide figures showing the conservation initiative’s outcomes, the grant program’s scale, or the educational materials’ audience. Those details would help readers distinguish the project’s photographic reach from its wider effects.
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Continuing Toward 25,000 Species
Sartore’s stated next step is to continue photographing animals toward the more-than-25,000-species target. The source gives no timetable for reaching that goal, and its estimate of around 1,000 animals documented each year does not establish a completion date. The pace may vary as the project works with different facilities, researchers and conservation partners.
Readers can follow the archive and its conservation work through the Photo Ark website, as described in the source report. Further updates may clarify changes to the species total and the impact of the grant and education programs. No new milestone, funding announcement or project deadline was reported in the material provided.
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Key Questions
How many species has the Photo Ark documented?
The Colossal report gives a total of 18,567 animal species as of its publication. It does not provide a separate date for the count.
Who created the Photo Ark?
The project was started by National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore in 2006 in Lincoln, Nebraska.
What is the Photo Ark’s goal?
Sartore’s stated target is a photographic catalogue showing more than 25,000 species. The report does not give a deadline for reaching it.
How does the project support conservation?
Alongside its portraits and educational materials, the Photo Ark launched the Species Impact Initiative in 2023, which awards grants to conservationists. The source does not report the grants’ number, total value or measured outcomes.
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