National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore began photographing North America’s endangered animal and plant species as a personal project. It grew into a decades-long endeavor. His new book, RARE: Portraits of America’s Endangered Species (National Geographic Focal Point, hardcover, $24), which was released today, gathers 80 of his photographs with text profiles that introduce readers to each species and detail the reasons for their endangerment. Sartore also includes personal anecdotes about the animals and how he made many of the photographs. Sartore’s book visually celebrates the biodiversity of the American continent and gives readers a sense of the forces—man-made and otherwise—influencing the survival of these species. The book also includes several species that coming back from the precipice of extinction. Below are a selection of images from Sartore’s book, along with his anecdotes.

St. Andrew Beach Mouse, Peromyscus polionotus peninsular; population ≤ 6,000; Panama City, Florida. Sartore: “Beach mice are anthropomorphic—cute as can be and easy to love—unless you are a developer who is inconvenienced by preserving their habitat. But photographing them is almost as tricky as saving them. The mice never stop moving, and so quickly that I couldn’t follow them with my macro lens, let alone get a focus. My flash even had a hard time stopping them. Only when this mouse paused to groom did I get a moment to take a picture.”

Ocelot, Leopardus paradalis. Population 195, San Diego Zoo, San Diego, California. Sartore: “The key in photographing anything is having time and good access. In this case, we had access to the only ocelot I know of that is trained to walk on a leash, at the San Diego Zoo. Time was the real issue, though. Many of these animals will stand still only for food. The moment they get full, the shoot is over. We got eight minutes”

Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit, Brachylagus idahoensis; population 0; Oregon Zoo, Portland, Oregon. Sartore: “Bryn the pygmy rabbit died in 2008, marking the end of her genetic line. This subpopulation lost its sagebrush habitat as the land was developed for agriculture. Key features of Bryn’s genetic material survive in hybrid pygmy rabbits; a breeding and reintroduction program holds out hope for her kind.”

Dehli Sands Flower-Loving Fly, Rhaphiomidas terminatus abdominalis; population less than 1,000; Colton, California. Sartore: “It took four and a half months to take this picture. That was the wait time for a special handling permit that was needed through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. On the chosen day, with several federal agents there to see the show, a federally permitted fly handler named Ken Osborne readied himself to catch a single fly unharmed. Our permit allowed for just one fly to be caught, so if it was injured or flew off before I got the picture, that would be our tough luck. Neither of us slept a wink the night before. [Biologist Ken Osborne] was able to find a fly, net it, then run it back to my rolling photo studio, a GMC Yukon lined with bed sheets. He knocked it out with CO2 gas, then let it wake up a few seconds later on my black velvet background. To our amazement, it stayed there a groomed itself, giving me several minutes to shoot. Ken then gently scooped it into a jar, took it back to the place he found it, and we all watched it fly off.”

Grizzly Bear, Ursus arctos horribilis; population about 1,500. Sedgewick County Zoo, Wichita, Kansas. Sartore: “This grizzly you see isn’t tame; he’s just hungry. My friends at the Sedgewick County Zoo in Wichita allowed me to paint off an exhibition cell with nontoxic white paint and then load in the bear. He stood in the center of the room hoping to get treats tossed in, and I shot through the bars. As soon as our shoot was over, we powerwashed the paint off the walls and floor. Mission accomplished.”

California Condor, Gymnogyps californianus; population 356; Phoenix Zoo, Phoenix Arizona. Sartore: “This species nearly didn’t make it, but now there are more than 300 condors alive, and some of those birds fly free again. The bird you see here is known simply as Male #50. He flew in the wild for a time, until a collision with Arizona’s Navajo Bridge dislocated his right wing at the wrist. He’ll be an educational bird from now on—starting with this photograph.”

A portrait of actor Jeff Goldblum (star of Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Independence Day, Jurassic Park, and The Fly) by Howard Schatz. This image was included in the winners gallery of the 2009 PDN Faces Portrait Photography Contest. The 2010 Contest is currently open for entries until April 5, but enter today to avoid late fees. A People’s Choice winner will also be selected.

© Richard Misrach, Untitled, 2007. Archival pigment print, 17 3/8 x 23 1/4 inches. From The Elton AIDS Foundation Portfolio.

This image will be on display with the Jackson Fine Art at this year’s AIPAD show from March 18th-21st. For more details about the AIPAD Photography Show New York , click here. For more work from Richard Misrach and Jackson Fine Art, click here.

© Rich Gastwirt

Music photographer Rich Gastwirt captures James Hetfield of Metallica handing his pick to a lucky fan. The band “had a theater in the round situation and were running all about the stage, making photographers chase them around whack-a-mole style.”

This image was the People’s Choice winner in the Ultimate Music Moment Contest. See more rockin’ images here.

All Photos © Ryan Pyle

On a 2006 trip, Ryan Pyle decided to focus his camera on the disappearing culture of China’s remote western Xinjiang province. He says, “The culture is vanishing before my eyes. Each time I return something is missing—a market, an old shop full of blacksmiths, a local mosque. This cultural fabric will be lost forever.” Previously named Chinese Turkestan, the Xinjiang province is bordered by the Gobi desert and some of the highest mountain ranges in the world, making this location incredibly remote.

Ryan Pyle is a Canadian born-artist. He graduated from the University of Toronto in 2001 and moved permanently to China in 2002 where he is a contributor, covering China, for the New York Times. In addition to this photographic series, Pyle has created a multimedia piece.

Reflections of mountains on a lake in a remote region of Xinjiang, China.

A young boy lifts a sheep off a truck at the Animal Market in Kashgar, China.

A woman picks cotton while holding her baby in a remote region of Xinjiang, China.

Men make deals buying, selling and trading animals at the Animal Market just outside Kashgar, China.

A woman weaves a carpet using traditional machinery at a carpet factory on the outskirts of Hotan, China.

A woman collects animal waste, which she can later use for fuel, along the border of China and Kyrgyzstan in a remote region of Xinjiang, China.

A women unloads bricks at a brick-making factory just outside Kuche, Xinjiang, China.

A cock fighting competition takes place on market day in a small village near Kashgar, Xinjiang, China.

A fully veiled woman walks along a lane way in the old town of Kashgar, Xinjiang, China.

A man repairs shoes at his small shop in the old town in Kuche, Xinjiang, China.

A woman prays at the cemetery in the old town of Kashgar, Xinjiang, China.

© Ruud van Empel, World #33, 2008. C-print, 24 x 20 inches.  From the Elton John AIDS Portfolio, edition of 40.  Jackson Fine Art

This image will be on display with the Jackson Fine Art at this year’s AIPAD show from March 18th-21st. For more details about the AIPAD show, click here. For more work from Ruud van Empel and Jackson Fine Art, click here.

©Julie Mack, Self Portrait with Family in SUV, Michigan, 2007. C-print, 30 x 40-inches.  Laurence Miller Gallery

This image will be on display with the Laurence Miller Gallery at this year’s AIPAD show from March 18th-21st. For more details about the AIPAD Photography Show New York, click here. For more work from Julie Mack and the Laurence Miller Gallery, click here.

August Sander, Forester’s Child, Westerwald, 1931. Gelatin silver print, 10-3/16 x 7-1/2 inches. Copyright © SK-Stiftung Kultur – August Sander Archiv VG-Bild Kunst, Bonn.  Deborah Bell Photographs

This image, with Deborah Bell Photographs, will be on display at this year’s AIPAD Photography Show New York from March 18th-21st. For more details about the AIPAD show, click here. For more work from August Sander and Deborah Bell Photographs, click here.