The 16,000th Animal in Epic Photo Project is a Santa Cruz Salamander
The National Geographic Photo Ark project has marked 18 years of capturing living species under human care by photographing its 16,000th species: the Santa Cruz long-toed salamander.
Captured by Photo Ark founder Joel Sartore at the University of California Santa Cruz, this salamander represents one of the first species listed under the Endangered Species Preservation Act, the precursor to the modern Endangered Species Act (ESA). This endemic California species has one of the smallest habitat ranges of any ESA-listed species, its entire distribution spanning no more than 15 miles (25 kilometers) in southern Santa Cruz County and northern Monterey County.
Often found in underground burrows in California’s forested uplands and shrublands near their breeding ponds and marshes, these glossy black, yellow-speckled amphibians face looming threats from habitat loss and climate change. Their forested habitat is being rapidly converted for agriculture and urban infrastructure. In addition, their breeding ponds, essential for their larvae to hatch and grow, are drying out due to frequent and intense droughts spurred on by climate change. The loss of these pools prevents reproduction and often causes juveniles to perish prematurely, intensifying the salamander’s population decline.
While population data is unknown for the Santa Cruz long-toed salamander, the number of breeding populations has greatly declined with some estimates suggesting they have halved from 30 to 16 in the period from 1954 to 2019. Many southern breeding ponds have been completely destroyed and others are only estimated to have 20-30 adults remaining. The small extant populations have also lost much of their genetic diversity, limiting their ability to adapt to environmental changes and putting them at even greater risk of extinction.
“The Santa Cruz long-toed salamander is emblematic not only of the plight of the world’s amphibian species which are facing rapid decline, but also because it represents a species, like so many others, that we can take action to change its future,” says Sartore via a press release.
What is Photo Ark?
Since its founding 18 years ago, the Photo Ark has worked to bring “much-needed attention to all species in the world’s zoos, aquariums, and wildlife sanctuaries” through Joel Sartore’s award-winning photography.
Sartore has traveled to zoos, aquariums, and wildlife sanctuaries on every continent except Antarctica to encourage action through education, save wildlife by promoting conservation, and create a photo archive of global animal diversity.
“Our goal is to photograph every species in human care around the world, some 20,000 species, and that will take another 15 years at least––likely the rest of my lifetime,” Sartore, a National Geographic Explorer who travels 8 months of the year, told PetaPixel in 2022.
Species of all sizes, rare and common, are photographed without distractions or size comparisons granting them an equal setting in which to be appreciated for their innate and unique attributes.
“There’s no better way to honor the 18th anniversary of the National Geographic Photo Ark than with the announcement of the 16,000th species, the endangered Santa Cruz long-toed salamander,” says Ian Miller, the Society’s Chief Science and Innovation Officer.
“This milestone moment exemplifies what Joel’s nearly two decades of work on the Photo Ark is all about: using the power of storytelling and science to illuminate and protect our planet’s rich biodiversity, giving new hope to species facing unprecedented threats to their survival.”
Image credits: Photographs by Joel Sartore/National Geographic Photo Ark
