a ploughshare tortoise at the Turtle Conservancy, Ojai, California
a veiled chameleon at Rolling Hills Zoo, Salina, Kansas
a ploughshare tortoise
a Tabasará robber frog at El Valle Amphibian Conservation Center
a rhinoceros snake at at St. Louis Zoo, Missouri
a reimann snake necked turtle at Zoo Atlanta, Georgia
the Philippine crocodile taken at the Gladys Porter Zoo, Brownsville, Texas
a Budgett's frog at the National Aquarium in Baltimore
a dwarf caiman at Gladys Porter Zoo
an axolotl at the Detroit Zoo
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Ploughshare TortoiseStatus: Critically EndangeredWhile protected by law in Madagascar, the critically endangered ploughshare tortoise (Astrochelys yniphora) sometimes falls prey to human smugglers. It’s among the 25 most endangered turtles in the world. Its name comes from the plow-shaped projection between its front legs. Photographed at Turtle Conservancy, Ojai, California.

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Photograph by Joel Sartore, Nat Geo Image Collection

Amphibians and Reptiles

A selection of portraits from Photo Ark, a project to document the world's animals before they disappear.

November 18, 2015

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