Vanishing: The World's Most Vulnerable Animals

Photo Ark

by Joel Sartore

National Geographic photojournalist Joel Sartore continues his Photo Ark quest, photographing species around the world that are escaping extinction thanks to human efforts.

Joel Sartore's quest to photograph all the animal species under human care celebrates its 15th year with this collection of photographs. The animals featured in these pages are either destined for extinction or already extinct in the wild but still alive today, thanks to dedication of a heroic group committed to their continued survival. From the majestic Sumatran rhinoceros to the tiny Salt Creek tiger beetle.

Sartore singles out the species most likely to disappear in the next decades, as well as some that have already been lost. Alongside these images are the words of scientists and conservationists who are working to protect and restore populations of endangered species.

Genres: Nonfiction, Photography, Animals, Nature, Art, Science, Art and Photography

400 pages, Hardcover

Published September 10, 2019

About the author

From Wikipedia: Joel Sartore (born June 16, 1962, Ponca City, Oklahoma) is an American photographer, speaker, author, teacher, and a 20-year contributor to National Geographic magazine. Sartore grew up in Ralston, Nebraska and graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a degree in journalism. His interest in nature started in childhood, when he learned about the very last passenger pigeon from one of his mother's Time-Life picture books. He has since been chased by a wide variety of species including wolves, grizzlies, musk oxen, lions, elephants and polar bears. His first National Geographic assignments introduced him to nature photography, and also allowed him to see human impact on the environment first-hand.

In addition to the work he has done for National Geographic, Joel has contributed to Audubon Magazine, GEO, Time, Life, Newsweek, Sports Illustrated and numerous book projects. Joel and his work have been the subjects of several national broadcasts including National Geographic's Explorer, the NBC Nightly News, NPR's Weekend Edition and an hour-long PBS documentary, At Close Range. He is also a contributor on the CBS Sunday Morning Show with Charles Osgood. In 2015, he had an appearance in the film Racing Extinction where he photographed the very last Rabb's fringe-limbed treefrog.

Joel Sartore is a founding Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP).[1] In 2012, Sartore was named a Fellow of the National Geographic Society.

Reviews

[Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can get straight to the point with this one. The Photo Ark Vanishing is another National Geographic book filled with stunning pictures; this time of animals nearing extinction or already extinct in the wild. Some of these animals I’d not heard of because of how rare or unusual they are, and there is beauty in every one.

Ever since I was a child, the thought of any animal becoming extinct has been heartbreaking to me, especially when the extinction is due to something humans have wrought on that particular species. This is a stunning tribute to these most beautiful, rare animals, and I’m so grateful to have it in my collection.

The author writes with love and care towards animals, and The Photo Ark Vanishing is definitely an indelible read.

I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning photos combined with generally depressing content, as in many cases these could well be the last pictures ever taken of these amazing creatures, (all were shot at various zoos and aquariums around the world, but none in the wild).



Joel Sartore has over 25 years with National Geographic, and has been the driving force behind their "Photo Ark" for much of that time, having photographed over 12,000 species for the ark as well as publishing several other books on the project. However, this is the only one that focuses on those animals that are most at risk of disappearing, grouping them into such conveniently dispiriting categories as Endangered, Critically Endangered, Extinct in the Wild, etc. (You can see much more of his work at www.joelsartore.com and www.natgeophotoark.org, or actually find this book on Barnes & Noble's bargain shelf, if you're lucky.)

While everyone loves the larger mammals and such weirdos as this dude…



…in many cases it was the stories of the smaller animals - lizards, snails, dull-colored birds and tiny freshwater fish - that for some reason hit me the hardest. We all tend to overlook such "less cute" creatures, but they too are the result of thousands if not millions of years of evolution, and fill individual and important niches in the interconnected and interdependent ecosystems of which they are a part. And the sheer speed with which many of them are disappearing - it seems like every other page tells us that "this species numbers have decreased by 57% in the last two decades" or the like - is not only mind-boggling, but a damning indictment of humanity's negative and snowballing impact on the planet in what is increasingly being recognized as the Anthropocene - a proposed "geological epoch dating from the commencement of significant human impact on Earth's geology and ecosystems, including - but by no means limited to - anthropogenic climate change."

One interesting (and again, depressing) revelation was the impact that coffee cultivation is having on tropical deforestation and related species endangerment. I know in other reviews I have railed against Southeast Asia's widespread replacement of old-growth rain forest with palm oil plantations, but I hadn't realized that similar devastation was taking place just so that we could enjoy our morning cuppa - so will have to review my drinking habits, or at least look for more sustainable and eco-friendly sources.

Coming hard on the heels of the equally upsetting Meltdown in Tibet, that's two big bummers in a row - so will have to look for something a little more upbeat to read next, because otherwise I'm beginning to feel more and more like this little guy:

[Sassy Katt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful photos! There were some animals I had never seen before. To think that one day these animals may not be around just breaks my heart.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series presents another remarkable photo collection of wild species. From the mightiest to the tiniest, all of the animals in this collection have a sad fact in common: they’re all in danger of going extinct due to human activity.

It’s difficult to imagine any person looking through these images and not being moved in some way by the stunning, close-up photos that beg the reader to make a connection. In many of the pictures, we will recognize our own emotions—this is especially true of our cousins in the primate world.

It’s bad enough that so many of these animals are facing extinction as a result of habitat loss and climate change, but there’s something particularly nauseating when they are targeted directly to satisfy humanity’s ugly impulses: trophy hunting, luxury goods, and the exotic pet trade. It is precisely these animals’ rarity that makes them valuable commodities in these industries.

The hand-wringing about how many “pure-blooded” individuals are left in a population, however, seems questionable. It would make sense that once a certain species is already isolated and low in numbers, there is a risk of a genetic bottleneck that could result in congenital health issues and shortened lifespans, as we’ve seen with many purebred pets. Hybridization might be the only thing that allows certain species to survive in an increasingly hostile environment.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Amazing Stars! Photographer Joel Sartore traveled the world capturing stunning images of our vanishing creatures. Almost 300 vulnerable, threatened, endangered, or extinct animals are showcased in this powerful, poignant, and remarkable tome. This is a call to all of us to help save these dwindling species. The images are up close and personal and are photographed with reverence and sensitivity from the soulful stare of the Western Lowland Gorilla, the glow of the Gee’s Golden Langur, the patterned Cagle’s Map Turtle, and Nabire the dignified and now deceased White Rhinoceros in the Czech Republic.

“Nobody knows exactly how many species of plants and animals call our planet home. Scientists have given names to just under 2 million, but the actual number may be between 6 million and 2 billion.” The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is the leading authority on our vanishing creatures and since 1964 has garnered a massive inventory of almost 100,000 species, assessed their risks for extinction, and created The Red List of Threatened Species and the IUCN classifications ranging from Extinct, Extinct in the Wild, Critically Endangered, Endangered, Vulnerable, Near Threatened, Least Concern, Data Deficient, and Not Evaluated. More than 26,000 of the assessed species are endanger of extinction. IUCN has designated “more than 200 mammal species and subspecies as ‘critically endangered’” such as the Sumatran Rhinoceros and the Vaquita (a Gulf of California porpoise). I recently learned my father, who was a zoology major, has been a member of IUCN for at least 20 to 30 years.

Mr. Sartore created Photo Ark to save both species and habitats and has photographed over 10,000 species in zoos and wildlife sanctuaries in 40 countries. Joel is on a mission to photograph every captive animal species, because “I want people to care, to fall in love, and take action.” Zoos and “special breeding facilities” are increasingly housing the last remaining of many species. The world has become more informed “to ensure biodiversity survives” through the internet (P. 18 and 19). He advocates that there are a 1000 things you can do such as insulate your home, burn less fossil fuels, consume less meat, reduce, reuse, and recycle.

National Geographic has joined in his efforts by pledging to support protecting 30% of the planet’s threatened species and wild habitats globally. In 50 years, “more than 60% of the wildlife populations, and world habitats have disappeared.” “One in eight of the world’s bird species was threatened with extinction as of 2017.” Unfortunately, who knows how many unknown “reptiles, amphibians, fish, even insects” have already vanished.

Will humans have the same impact as asteroids on dinosaurs? As quoted by Elizabeth Kolbert in her Foreword, “The great naturalist E.O. Wilson has noted that humans are the ‘first species in the history of life to become a geophysical force. Many scientists argue that we have entered a new geologic epoch - the Anthropocene or age of man. This time around, in other words, the asteroid is us. What’s lost when an animal goes extinct? One way to think of a species, be it of ape or of ant, is as an answer to a puzzle: how to live on planet Earth. In this sense, a species’ genome is a sort of manual; when the species perishes, that manual is lost. We are, in this sense, plundering a library – the library of life. Instead of the Anthropocene, Wilson has dubbed the era we are entering the Eremozoic – the age of loneliness.”

Why are these creatures disappearing? Overpopulation, development and encroachment on their habitats, logging, poaching, pathogens, climate change, overfishing, ocean acidification, deforestation, hunting, long fertility periods, pollution, inbreeding, and other animal predators.

A sampling of those photographed:

For over a decade, Romeo, a Sehuencas Water Frog, in Bolivia was thought to be the last of his kind until Juliet and four others were found in the wild in 2018.

Due to “collaborative conservation efforts,” the Mountain Gorilla “was downlisted from critically endangered to endangered in 2018.”

The stotting (bouncing on “all four feet off the ground”) of the Mhorr Gazelle. “The world’s largest gazelle ... were once widespread across Chad, Sudan, and Darfur.”

In the Florida Keys, not far from where I live, the rising seas have imperiled the Key Largo Cotton Mouse, the Lower Keys Marsh Rabbit, the Silver Rice Rat, the Stock Island Tree Snail, the Key Deer, the Key Largo Wood Rat, and Schaus Swallowtail Butterfly. I was unfamiliar with all except for the Key Deer.

Only two Peacock Parachute Spiders have been seen in India’s wilderness since 1899 but are readily available on the international pet market. They are critically endangered.

The Titicaca Water Frog resembles “an aquatic shar-pei.”

The thrusting rear end when endangered of the orange dusted black Ecuadorian Pilalo Tree Frog.

Some Humphead Wrasse fish “will change gender throughout their lives, spending their youth as females and their late adulthood as males.”

Red foxes and domestic cats feasted on the Numbats in Australia reducing their numbers to less than a 1000 in the wild.

It is believed that over a million Pangolins were removed from the jungle to sell their powdered pangolin scales in China and Vietnam under the false belief it will “help with rheumatism, skin disorders, and even cancer.” Unfortunately folk remedies with unproven medical benefits have also gravely imperiled the Eastern Black Rhinoceros, Egyptian Vulture, Proboscis Monkey, Lined Seahorse, Axolotl, and the Chinese Alligator.

While more than 2,000 Tasmanian Devils are killed annually by vehicles, an incurable facial tumor cancer is a bigger threat that is easily transmittable between the species.

Changes in their forest habitat have endangered the Madagascar Dwarf Chameleon, which is the size of a fingernail.

I love my cup of coffee, but the deforestation of coffee-growing lands in Latin America has threatened the Geoffroy’s Spider monkey, Golden-Cheeked Warbler, Margay, Oncilla, Blue-Billed Curassow, Golden-Capped Parakeet, and Yucatán Black Howler Monkey.

The Golden Poison Frog “is the most poisonous animal on Earth. A single individual has enough poison in its body to kill 10 adult men. Males carry larvae from the forest floor to water, where they mature.”

Flat-Headed Cats that swim under water with webbed paws, strong jaws, and close-set eyes capture fish in the marshes of Sumatra, Borneo, and the Malayan Peninsula.

Deforestation is endangering the green, orange, and black poisonous Madagascar Painted Frogs that live in 9,434 square kilometers on a thin strip of Madagascar.

The rare and odd-looking Chinese Blind Cave Fish that was first scientifically described at the end of the last century reside in cave waters in southern China.

Palm Oil Production in southeast Asia has threatened 200 species, including the Goodfellow’s Tree Kangaroo, Helmeted Hornbill, Bornean Gibbon, Wrinkled Hornbill, Bornean Crested Fireback, and Bornean Bearded Pig. Certain companies are now only purchasing palm oil that was cultivated without deforestation.

The Pinyon Jay in the western U.S. “can expand their esophagus to swallow up to 50 [pine tree] seeds at one and store them in caches across their range.”

The tusks of the Sulawesi Babirusa or Pig Deer pierce through the top of their snout and toward their forehead as they never stop growing.

Believed to be extinct for 2,000 years, the Mallorcan or Majorcan Midwife Toad was discovered living in 1979 in Majorca. The males carry “eggs wrapped in strands around their ankles.”

The neon green of Buckley’s Giant Glass Frog found in Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador is listed as vulnerable by IUCN.

Disease and drought have endangered the Koalas in Australia, where recently over two decades, their population declined by approximately 28%.

Global warming and the shrinking ice mass have threatened many Arctic creatures such as the Spectacled Eider, Pacific Walrus, Orca, Caribou, and Arctic Fox.

The Philippine Sailfin Lizard or water lizard not only swim but can “sprint across the surface of water ... to escape from predators.”

Ivory and meat poachers and loss of habitat have imperiled the Hippopotamus.

The large fins of Leatherbacks only propel forward, not backward. Thus, they cannot be cared for in captivity as they keep smashing into walls.

While I was fortunate to travel the world as a child, we still visited many zoos. Why are zoos important? Kathy Russell, General Curator, Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo said, “Most people will never get an opportunity to go to Africa to see things, to go to Australia. So by showing them this, we’re giving them an opportunity to appreciate it and then go home and do something about it. If people don’t see it, smell it, watch it move, be up close to it, they’re not going to take ownership of that.”

If you are interested in further researching the species, I suggest the International Union for Conservation of Nature at iucn.org or National Museum of Natural History’s Encyclopedia of Life at eol.org.

Dr. Cheng Wen-Haur states, “The saving of species, in the end, is about saving ourselves.” We need to protect our world and all of its inhabitants. These animals are in crisis and we need to care. I highly recommend that you read this fascinating book. Unplanned, both my parents and I recently gave this book simultaneously to my uncle and his wife. They now each have their own copy. I hope they and you enjoy the book as much as I did.

[Arnis · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://poseidons99.wordpress.com/202...

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Astonishing haunting and beautiful! This is a collection of intimate portraits of many of the earth's species struggling to hold on to existence. What marvels are placed here with people. It fills me with compassion for the animal kingdom

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mostly gorgeous photography. I say mostly because I don’t think all creepy crawlies are aesthetically pleasing, but still appreciate their biodiversity. While looking at these beautiful, exotic animals I felt pangs of sadness and guilt mix with awe and wonder. I like the artistic choice of having a completely white or black background, but sometimes it was difficult to get a sense of scale of the animal or insect, yet a few times the creature was photographed perched on someone’s thumbnail or otherwise being held so you knew its size relative to human hands. One butterfly is photographed as being in a small container, like one might have as a to-go sauce container.

The titicaca water frog stuck with me as it has folds in its skin to help it get oxygen for it lives high up in the Andes mountains.

Sometimes I found myself mad at ‘Chinese medicine’ as it was listed as one of the reasons for some species’ endangered status, such as for pangolins, some wild cats, and a species of seahorse. However, other reasons such as deforestation, pollution, mining, and the harvesting of palm oil and other resources are also causes, causes that I -inadvertently- contribute to.

I do not recall seeing the brown pelican photographed. I am a UCSC alum and did see a brown pelican while at Santa Cruz. They were at a time endangered, but have since increased their numbers.

At the end of the book the photographer gave a brief behind the scenes look at his process. I appreciated that he kept the animal’s comfort as the priority, choosing to edit out dropped feathers, dirt, waste. He commented that once the orangutan understood she was having her photo taken that ‘she leaned into it’.

[Kelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not me crying over this book at 1am 😭 we don’t deserve the world we live in

[Luana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an utterly gorgeous, heart moving and inflaming book. And while at times I wished for more text, I can't mark it as any less than 5 stars for the impact it had and the importance it carries.

It is a beautiful and sobering portrait series of the history and current progression towards extinction of so many species and a call to stem these tides that we have helped create:
"...[Humans are the]...first species in the history of life to become a geophysical force." E.O.Wilson (Naturalist)



Within this book, pages of species lost and near lost (some brightened with stories of hope and rebounding success) stare forth. Some look off page and some seem to look directly through the camera at you (the mink and Iberian lynx were both super effective at this). And each is accompanied by their own mini write up, in addition to the larger general introductions at the beginning of the book and for each section. It was also in the introductory part of the book that I learnt about the IUCN and the IUCN red list - a global inventory of the world's species that keeps track of those at risk and their environment profiles. It is an ever evolving project and one of the aspects that extends this beyond a coffee table book. https://www.iucn.org/

Having said that, of all the animals, the orangutan who leaned in for her photo shoot, the snowy owl with attitude and pretty much all of the feline contingent (they were the biggest posers), these certainly did their best to make it the best coffee table book.

Some of the photos from the book and stories behind the work can be found here on the author's website https://www.joelsartore.com/photo-ark/

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH MY HEART! Beautiful photos, cool facts about some animals I'd never seen but hope to someday see at zoos or nature sanctuaries, and inspiration to any artist, photography, zoologist or environmental activist,
Awesome read for middle grade through adult. This is one of those rare coffee table books that everyone should own.

[Katra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunningly beautiful photographs loaded with personality and pathos.

[Kelly Downs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Depressing and gorgeous. The details in the photography are amazing.

[Brenda Kahn]

I found this while reading shelves in my library and took it home over the break. It was probably not the best idea as this was the first holiday spent without my husband, as he died in August. The photographs were so beautiful and haunting and so, so sad.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel honored to have encountered such a beautiful and impactful book. Sartore’s goal to capture threatened animals on film before they disappear from the planet is admirable, and his skill with a camera is stunning. But the reality of the Earth’s devastation is at the heart of this book:

“As we and our grains and livestock spread ever outward, we convert jungles, marshes, tundra, prairies, and everything else to farms, ranches, factories, roadways, and cities. Of the mammal biomass on earth today, less than 10 percent is wild. The rest is either us or the mammals we eat: cows, pigs, sheep, and goats.

“Without their habitats, most wild animals can’t survive. Oh, sure, we’ll likely have coyotes and squirrels, crows and starlings – the generalists that can thrive by adapting to us. But for the specialists that have evolved to feed on a specific plant, or raise their young in a certain place at a specific time, life won’t be easy as those special circumstances disappear.”

Other sobering statistics include how the songbird market of Asia is robbing rainforests of its inhabitants. “Most illegally captured birds survive only a day or two in cages, earning them the grim moniker of ‘cut-flower birds’ – they last no longer than a spray of flowers in a vase.

The photos themselves are striking, and here are some fascinating thing’s you’ll encounter:
-The Regent honeyeater, whose song has “regional dialects.”
-The Bornean orangutan that hammed it up for the camera.
-The aye-aye of Madagascar who looks like something out of Jim Henson’s creature shop.
-The Iberian lynx who looks super chill, yet wise.
-The soulful eyes of the Nancy Ma’s night monkey.
-The horsfield’s tarsier posing with jazz hands.

Any lover of nature or ardent conservationist would adore this book, its photos, and its message.

I received a complimentary copy of this book via TLC Blog Tours.

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wasn't much aware of Joel Sartore's project in which he is working with a group to snap as many pictures of animal species and so with this particular subject matter in mind I was intrigued a bit, especially to see what animals may have been mentioned of.

Although I can stand for conservation while also seeing the need for it I cannot stand the snooty sentiments that are bandied around. There is the whole undertone in which it sounds like mass extinctions and climate change almost never happened in the past but it is since of horrible humanity that they occur on a common basis like sand falling from an hourglass. And yep I understand that humanity is the driving force in these most current problems but don't make it seem like we are the god force who stands apart from all of creation.

At the same time the author Joel Sartore continues this sentiment in his own Introduction in which he mentions that all species are important to the preservation of this world except of course those same horrid humans. Yep if we can get rid of them the whole world will be fixed and no one remaining would even grieve our loss. Furthermore you can do your own part for conservation by eating less meat although later in the book the collective groups we are going after will be the making of coffee and palm oil plantations as well as the slash-and-burn policies for cropland while little mention is made of animal husbandry even with its own problems to the animals around us.

Otherwise the rest of the book is pretty decent overlooking those tones as the reader is taken on a journey to explore the creatures that just stand on the verge. As such the reader is introduced first to the animals who are now extinct and/or are believed to be so in the wild. The book then progresses to Critically Endangered, Endangered and Vulnerable although there are inclusions in each chapter of animals that may not be actually in that classification.

Each section starts off with an introduction that gives the reader an idea of the number of species that are found in that group that the chapter is focusing on followed by information that explores more of what is being talked about. The illustrations on these pages are given just as the name of the animal followed by its scientific name.

Meanwhile the rest of the chapter explores photographs of the animals included while this is by no means a comprehensive list. Each entry is then followed by the name of the animal and its scientific name while providing the reader with a paragraph of information. This latter inclusion may be about the threats to the animal, measures that are being done to help the animal or just an inclusion of animal behavior for the said species. Furthermore there are a few pages that have more than one paragraph included while big stats are shown and quotes included to help the reader to learn more about these amazing creatures.

The photography was a on a so-so par. For one thing Joel Sartore is probably one of the better ones in using black and white backgrounds for his animal subjects so I cannot fault him for that. But at times it seemed that some of his animal subjects weren't actually alive and this isn't counting the actual fact of the actual included ones that were really dead. Instead another reader provided me with a link that I found to be helpful was:

https://www.joelsartore.com/photo-ark/.

This most definitely would be a great book for animal-lovers and those who enjoy getting to know more about the world we live in even if you have to ignore the main text at the start of the book.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Photo Ark: Vanishing is a stunning photo collection that shares portraits of the most endangered animals in the world, some who might even be the last of their kind.  These amazing images stand out, Joel Sartore has captured the soul of each animal on a simple black or white background, forcing the reader to look into the eyes of many of the animals that our actions are helping to decimate.
From the foreword, where Elizabeth Kolbert states that E.O. Wilson has dubbed this era the Eremozoic, the age of lonliness, I knew that this would be a difficult book to look at.  Joel Sartore's introduction, where he recalls photographing Nabire, one of the last northern white rhinoceros' and then later visiting her body, echoes this sentiment. The biodiversity of Earth's fauna graces the pages: snails, corals, fish, frog, lizard, deer, tigers and the chimpanzee's that share 99% of our DNA, showing that the environmental impact of human actions does not discriminate.  A few lines of text accompany each photo and state the animal name, classification level through the International Union of Conservation, the amount of the species that are left and what actions have led to their decrease.  These few lines serve as a powerful reminder of how small actions we complete everyday impact other animals.  Beautifully done, this book will spark viewers into action to save the animals that grace the pages.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many readers will be familiar with the Photo Ark project which is trying to capture every living creature in photographs which has been in progress for over 25 years. It is getting close to completion. This book presents photographs of nearly 300 creatures that are the most threatened with extinction due to the usual and obvious causes: climate change, invasive species, habitat destruction, all of which pretty much originate with us, humans. This book then becomes a plea for action as the idea of extinction, the total and complete end of a species, has a sad and horrifying finality. With all that said though, it is the photographs that are stunning and amazing as they capture these animals in intimate and closeup detail. As Joel Sartore, the photographer/author of this book and the man responsible for the entire Photo Ark project, writes at the end: “All animals, regardless of size or shape, are glorious. Each is a living work of art.” Another contributor in the Foreword adds: “Sartore treats all creatures-great and small, handsome and homely- with reverence. His photos capture what’s singular and, I’d also like to say, soulful about every living thing.” I agree!

[Patty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is both beautiful and heart rending. All of the animals in it are either already extinct in the wild or heading towards extinction. Just think about that. The man taking all of these magnificent pictures wants to at least make a record of each one’s existence before it falls from the earth.

Mr. Sartore takes such evocative photos. Even this spider hater could marvel at a two page, oversized arachnid. It almost seems from the looks in the eyes of some of the animals that they knew their fate. It is almost overwhelming to page through at times when you stop to consider the book’s purpose but I think it’s something we really must do as it’s man’s fault that these animals are losing their habitat.

It’s a powerful book with a very powerful message. I keep picking it up to marvel at the photography and celebrate the people who have kept some species alive through dedicated efforts in sanctuaries and preserves. There is also a profound sense of loss for those animals that will never be seen again.

[Anneli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking at the pictures of these wonderful creatures is a humbling and embarrassing experience. Most of them are going to disappear during my watch. The biggest enemies of the richness of life seem to be stupidity and greed, in the form of palm oil, coffee and Chinese medicine, among other things. The word “development” in connection with killing other species sounds utterly weird. Here in Estonia we proudly eat a critically endangered species – the European eel (Anguilla anguilla) whose portrait in the chapter „Disappearing“ is accompanied with the quote „Just how do you feel about an eel? Your answer determines whether „the least among us“ lives or dies.“
We are losing threads of a fabric, pieces of a puzzle every day and getting poorer, losing information and skills. A lizard who can run on the surface of water. Come on, it’s been more than 2000 years since a human being was able to do that!

“All animals, regardless of size or shape, are glorious. Each is a living work of art.” (Joel Sartore)

[Megsbookclub · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of coffee table books! Do you collect them too? If you guys are looking for an early Christmas present this is it! The National Geographic’s- The Photo Ark Vanishing has the most beautiful pictures of animals I have ever seen. With 400 pages this new release shares all the animals that humans are trying to save from extinction. Some of the animals are actually extinct in the wild but through human efforts are still alive today through controlled environments.

One quote from the book really stood out to me- “How hard must we be on our planet to cause even insects to vanish?” As we continue to tear down and build new, we often forget all the species that these choices harm. It is nice that Joel Sartore works so hard to capture all these pictures while these animals are still here because one day they may not be.

[Nadina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how the photos, with their plain and empty backgrounds make every animal look beautiful. Even the "spooky"/"creepy" animals look beautiful with the lack of anything distracting in the background.
The black or white backgrounds really help you focus on the beauty of each of the animals as well.
The whole book is magnificent and I love the text that accompanies the chapters and also most of the pictures, simply small details about the animal. Though I am curious how the status of the Australian animals pictured in the book has changed since the printing/publication of the book to now (a few month later) considering the recent wildfires.
Honestly, I borrowed this from the library but it is a book I am seriously considering purchasing.

[Becky H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This book is beautiful and amazing. The photo ark has done it again and put together this collection of photographs of animals that are vanishing from or planet. Not only does it have the photographs, but it tells the reasons of why the animal is endangered or extinct. I appreciate that Joel Sartore has spent years and years putting this together. I have looked through other Photo Ark books but this one is breathtaking and heartbreaking as you think about how few of these animals are left.

50/50BookQuest categories=published in 2019, beautiful book cover, teaches you something, and nonfiction book.

[John Wood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a collection of pictures created by photographer Joel Sartore in a quest to document every species in zoos and wildlife sanctuaries throughout the World to inform about the plight of the earth's animals and encourage efforts to save them. Each spectacular color picture is taken against a black or white background, accompanied by a short description of each animal's current ecological classification. He has already developed over 10.000 out of an estimated 12,000 photos. This project is known as the "Photo Ark" and was created by National Geographic. This collection is an awe-inspiring treasure.

[Sara Strand · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is AMAZING.

It is so well written, the photos will blow you away, and the information is sobering. It's a relevant read as the Amazon is on fire right now. It'll make your walk around the zoo more interesting when you realize you might be looking at the last of an animal. Joel Sartore does an excellent job giving you information and explaining it well and holding your attention with these arresting photographs throughout the book.

I'll have a full review on my blog (9-20-19) but you can see others: Stranded in Chaos

[D · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my third Joel Sartore book and am still impressed with the photographs he puts to print. The patience he has in staging and photographing the animals must be incredible. He is a true wildlife warrior, bringing these on-the-brink creatures to life in full color for the world to see.

I am a wildlife fanatic and enjoy learning about new species and have 3 favorite animal from this book:
1 Titicaca water frog with his wrinkly skin
2 Balabac mouse deer - I didn't know we have a hoofed mouse
3 Pinyon Jay - they can swallow up to 50 seeds at once

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of beautiful photography of some of the world's most endangered species. The photography is incredible and the descriptions and writing is very poignant. I wish Sartore had stated what countries or continent each species was located on, or even a range map, but these things can be figured out online. A good book to have on a coffee table or other area where people will pick it up and learn about how fragile our ecology really is.

[ColumbusReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you don’t already have a love for animals, you will after looking and reading through these pages. Just another amazing photo album by National Geographic and Photo Journalist, Joel Sartore. Page after page after page of absolutely stunning photos of extinct or near extinct animals from all over the world. Excellent descriptions and statuses of these animals on each page. Just mesmerizing!

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous, informative, and ultimately tragic, this is another fantastic collection from National Geographic.
The photos are of amazing quality, with each animal coming to life right there on the page. There is also a wealth of information about both the featured animals, and the effects of human 'development' on their ecologies. Probably the best coffee-table-style book of the year.

[JoJo Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do not have enough words to convey how beautiful and sad this book is.

Filled with wonderful pictures of our most vulnerable, endangered and, unfortunately, extinct animals with a small explanation of the animal, detailing it's habitat and the risks it faces.

Exquisite enough to be a coffee table book, but you won't be able to stop lookong at it.

Strongly recommend.