PHOTO ARK

Go behind the scenes of this wild photo.

JOEL SARTORE, Allyson Shaw

THE ANIMAL King vulture; native to Mexico, Central America, and South America THE PHOTO SPOT Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville, Texas When I first arrived to photograph King Max the king vulture, I thought he looked like a warrior. Standing about two and a half feet tall, he seemed so powerful and serious. But I quickly realized that King Max is actually a total sweetheart. His mom couldn’t raise him, so King Max was brought up by caregivers at the zoo. That meant he was totally comfortable around people, even perching on keepers’ arms and playing with their shoestrings. The staff placed King Max in the perfect position for my photoshoot. All he needed was a dead mouse to snack on, and he happily posed for me! Some people find…

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National Geographic Kids (Digital) - 1 Issue, April 2025

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