National Geographic Society

Which animal is one of Joel Sartore's favorites? The photographer, #NatGeoExplorer and #PhotoArk founder shares some of the lesser-known and maybe more 'unloved' species he has documented, which are featured in the July 2025 issue of National Geographic magazine. Sartore has taken portraits of 17,000 species (and counting) in his quest to document our world's astonishing biodiversity. Explore the Photo Ark and discover how the power of photography is being used to inspire action — and help protect at-risk species before it's too late. natgeo.org/photoark

Antarctic krill are a keystone species that allows the entire structure of the Southern Ocean ecosystem to flourish. For the first time, Antarctic krill have been observed on seafloor vents. Marine ecologist and #NatGeoExplorer Kim Bernard is working to figure out what they are doing there. Bernard has been studying krill for 15 years. Her research and discoveries about their habitat on the seafloor could inform future insights about how to protect this crustacean that forms the base of the food web, supporting whales, penguins, seals and fish in addition to sequestering carbon. Explore more about krill’s vital role and Bernard’s research: https://lnkd.in/es4GkKDW. This work was conducted in the Southern Ocean aboard the R/V Falkor (too) in collaboration with Schmidt Ocean Institute as part of the National Geographic and ROLEX #PerpetualPlanet Ocean Expeditions. Photos by Luján Agusti

“With my work, I want to share the beauty, secret behaviors, and the threats that face big cats, providing a behind-the-lens look into their lives as well as the people who live with them and help to protect them,” wildlife photographer and #NatGeoExplorer Steve Winter shares. “My ultimate goal is to help save these magnificent animals and the ecosystems they inhabit.” 🐅Winter photographed this tiger in Bandhavgarh National Park, India using a remote controlled camera car.

Mangroves can trap up to 10 times more carbon than any other kinds of tropical trees. The trees’ woody underwater architecture provides habitat for the marine life on which fishing societies depend. On land, tough root networks help prevent erosion, protect against storm surge and harbor a range of wildlife — such as this jaguar on Maracá-Jipioca Island off the coast of the Brazilian Amazon. As part of the National Geographic and ROLEX #PerpetualPlanet Amazon Expedition, #NatGeoExplorers Angelo Fraga Bernardino (pictured) and Margaret Awuor Owuor explored the unique mangrove ecosystem at the mouth of the Amazon River. Their work assessed mangrove carbon stocks, identified changes in climate conditions in the Amazon River basin and determined the influence of the Amazon River plume across coastal habitats. For the first time, they documented the multiple ecosystem services that Brazilian mangroves provide and their cultural and economic value to the local people of the Amazon Delta. Explore more about mangroves’ vital role and the ecological benefits of these trees: https://lnkd.in/eDANywxh. Photos by Thomas P. Peschak

"The trees are old. They stand like weary sentinels in downtown city parks, their limbs bent by age, some with huge steel beams crutching their sagging branches," #NatGeoExplorer Paul Salopek writes in one of his latest dispatches from the Out of Eden Walk in Hiroshima, Japan. "The hibakujumoku, or ‘A-bombed trees’ of Hiroshima, like this aged eucalyptus, often exhibit scarring from the blast that destroyed the city on August 6, 1945." As Salopek journeyed through Hiroshima, he spoke with locals about the meaning of these botanical survivors. "They carry a message we need to hear today," arborist Chikara Horiguchi says, referring to the 159 trees that still stand in the heart of Hiroshima. Out of Eden Walk is a 38,000-kilometer (23,612-mile) storytelling journey tracing the ancient pathways of human migration. Explore more: https://lnkd.in/g5HNKVsC. Photo by Paul Salopek

A rare image of a great white shark was captured off the U.S. coast of Maine by #NatGeoExplorer Brian Skerry. 🦈 Similar sharks tagged with tracking devices have been documented in the area, but Skerry thinks this is the first underwater photo of one there. Skerry’s underwater work supported by the National Geographic Society and Builders Vision led him to the encounter with the juvenile shark that stretched nearly 10 feet (3 meters) long and swam just 4 feet (1 meter) away. Once rare, great whites are now flourishing in the Gulf of Maine, which stretches from Cape Cod, Mass., to Nova Scotia, Canada. More from National Geographic: https://lnkd.in/emNeuV9E.

A special #PassTheFlag 🟦🟫🟩 stop: Base Camp, where #NatGeoExplorer Whitney Goodell handed the flag to Explorer Joel Sartore! Hear from Sartore as he reflects on the legacy of our headquarters in Washington, D.C., and shares what’s next for the #PhotoArk.

From being a “wildlife DJ” to the founding director of the Creative Conservation Lab, #NatGeoExplorer Ben Mirin, Ph.D. has been using the sounds of our natural world to encourage its protection and inspire wonder. 🎙️🐦 His current project will take him across Southeast Asia to record and preserve the voices of the region’s 49 most highly-traded and caged songbirds where they still sing in the wild to support their conservation. “Recording sound around the world is now my favorite thing to do. The sound is a resource, a world-changing resource.” Explore more about Mirin’s unique path towards conservation science and how he’s making a way for others: https://lnkd.in/djQqdyTN. Photo by Drew Fulton

Little was known about Gabon's marine life before the 2012 National Geographic Pristine Seas expedition, conducted in partnership with the Waitt Institute and Wildlife Conservation Society. Using a remotely operated vehicle, they surveyed undersea rocky shoals rich with life and were ultimately rewarded with a spectacular sighting — a group of ten silky sharks, proof that Gabon’s waters supported a complete marine ecosystem. Dive into more findings at pristineseas.org. 🦈 Photo by #NatGeoExplorer in Residence and Pristine Seas founder Enric Sala

#NatGeoExplorer Reyhaneh Maktoufi loves a good story. She uses it to make sense of the world. Sometimes the stories she tells are visual — comics and animations that break down complex concepts into digestible and entertaining narratives. Other times she’s a writer and orator. Maktoufi is a science communication specialist and social science researcher investigating a deceptively simple question: What makes people curious about science? “Science communication can bring people together and we need a mutual language for science and society to talk to each other,” she explains. “We need stories to make sense of the uncertainty of the universe.” Explore how Maktoufi’s work transforms science communication into curiosity: https://lnkd.in/eR4ir4Ck. Illustration by Reyhaneh Maktoufi, photo by Joy Asico-Smith