Did you know that at least 100 species go extinct each day? From National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore comes Rare — a breathtaking yet heartbreaking visual record of some of the world’s most endangered creatures. From flies to wolves, Sartore’s stunning close-up portraits evoke a bittersweet awareness of the magnificent world we live in and the rapid rate at which we are running it into the ground.

With 80 arresting and intimate animal portraits, the book aims to give a voice to the amazing creatures likely to go extinct without people ever knowing they existed and, in the process, to serve as a call to action for preserving the planet’s most precious living resources.

Rare does for animals what Cedric Pollet’s Bark did for the world’s trees, tickling our deepest dormant awe for nature’s remarkable diversity. The book is part of a 3-year project documenting Earth’s biodiverisity and bringing a richer understanding of the Endangered Species Act, a 1973 policy measure attempting to mitigate the environmental consequence of economic growth and development.

via Dump; images courtesy of National Geographic/p>