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Endangered Species 2012
On 19 April 2012, the United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) issued a set of 12 stamps depicting endangered species. These were the twentieth set of stamps in UNPA’s multi-year series Endangered Species. The series was launched on 3 March 1993 to highlight the need for the protection of endangered species throughout the world. For the twentieth anniversary of the Endangered Species stamp issue, UNPA is including three universally recognized and loved animals from previous years – the Giant panda, the Siberian tiger and the Snow leopard.
UNPA issued three sheets of 16 stamps, one sheet in each of the three currencies. Four different endangered species are illustrated on each sheet; hence, 12 species are covered.
The Designs
The 45-cent stamps depict the following species:
Giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)
Short-horned chameleon (Calumma brevicorne)
Oncilla (Leopardus tigrinus)
Cotton-headed tamarin (Saguinus oedipus)
The F.s. 1,00 stamps depict the following species:
Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica)
Painted tiger-parrot (Psittacella picta)
Green iguana (Iguana iguana)
Golden crowned sifaka (Propithecus tattersalli)
The € 0,70 stamps depict the following species:
Snow leopard (Panthera uncia)
Bornean peacock-pheasant (Polyplectron schleiermacheri)
Masked owl (Tyto novaehollandiae)
Axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum)
Special First Day Cancellations
On 19 April 2012, special first day hand-cancellations for the Endangered Species stamps will be available at United Nations Headquarters in New York; the Palais des Nations, Geneva; and the Vienna International Centre. The hand-cancellations can be seen in the scanned FDCs' above.
Special Limited Edition Silk First Day Cover
To commemorate the 2012 Endangered Species stamp series, a limited edition first day cover in silk has been produced by UNPA. A single stamp, one from each office, is affixed and cancelled, as appropriate, from New York, Geneva or Vienna. The covers are consecutively numbered.
Stamp Specifications
The 12 stamps, in denominations of 45 cents, F.s. 1,00 and € 0,70, each measure 39.2 mm horizontally x 28.6 mm vertically, perforation to perforation. Perforation: 12 1/2 x 12 3/4.
Printing
The stamps were printed in offset lithography by Joh. Enschedé Stamps Security Printers B.V. (Netherlands).
Denominations
45 cents
F.s. 1,00
€ 0,70
The Artist
The 2012 Endangered Species stamps were illustrated by Diana Marques (Portugal). Ms. Marques completed a biology degree and several drawing and science illustration certificate programmes in Portugal before graduating from the Science Illustration Program in Santa Cruz, California.
She works in a variety of media and favours rendering with attention to details and scientific accuracy. This is her first stamp design for the United Nations.
The Endangered Species Covered
New York values (45-cents)
Ailuropoda melanoleuca
COMMON NAME: Giant panda
TAXONOMIC CLASSIFICATION:
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Ursidae
The giant panda is universally admired for its appealing markings and seemingly gentle demeanour. Actually a member of the bear family, the giant panda is a robust animal with heavy shoulders and a distinctive black and white coat. The molars and premolar teeth are wider and flatter than those of other bears and the jaw muscles are large, allowing the giant panda to grind bamboo. The giant panda is well known for its “thumb”, which is actually a modified wrist bone that enables it to grasp bamboo stalks dextrously.
The historic range of the giant panda encompassed much of eastern and southern China, reaching into northern Viet Nam and Myanmar. Today, the range is restricted to six separate mountain ranges in western China, on the eastern edge of the Tibetan plateau, in the provinces of Gansu, Shaanxi and Sichuan.
The giant panda is unusual among the larger mammals for the extreme specialization of its diet, which depends almost entirely on bamboo. Bamboo is a relatively abundant food source but has poor nutritional value, thus an adult giant panda must spend around 14 hours a day feeding. It therefore alternates periods of feeding and resting throughout the day and night. Bamboo is evergreen and in winter giant pandas concentrate on leaves and stems, descending to lower altitudes in search of new shoots in spring. Despite its specialization on bamboo, the giant panda will readily scavenge on meat should they come across it.
This species is listed on Appendix I of CITES. Habitat loss is the greatest cause of the decline of the giant panda. Large areas of China’s natural forest have been cleared for agriculture, timber and firewood to meet the needs of the large and growing human population. With more than 160 giant pandas currently in zoos around the world, captive breeding programmes are of critical importance, both as insurance against the species going extinct in the wild, and to create a source for reintroduction into the wild.
Calumma brevicorne
COMMON NAME: Short-horned chameleon
TAXONOMIC CLASSIFICATION:
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Chamaeleonidae
The most striking and distinctive feature of the short-horned chameleon is its large, ear-like occipital lobes, and the short bony appendage that projects from the snout of the male. Although generally greyish in colouration, there is some variation between the sexes and across the species’ range, with the slightly larger males tending to have a lighter coloured head, and some specimens being greener and having blue legs. The size of this chameleon also varies from one locality to another, as does the prominence of the dorsal crest, which is more obvious in some individuals than in others.
The short-horned chameleon is endemic to Madagascar, where it occurs in the eastern and northern parts of the island. It is found in shrubs and trees on forest edges. Like other chameleons, the compressed body, spindly limbs, grasping feet and prehensile tail of the short-horned chameleon enable it to negotiate the branches and twigs of its arboreal home deftly. Very little is known about this species’ ecology, but in captivity it is known to feed on a wide variety of insects. When threatened, it raises its ear-like flaps to increase its apparent size and attacks with an open mouth.
The greatest threat to this species is the loss and degradation of its forest habitat. In the 2,000 years since humans arrived on Madagascar, the island nation has lost 90 per cent of its forest cover, with firewood collection and slash-and-burn agriculture continuing to have a devastating impact. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES.
Leopardus tigrinus
COMMON NAME: Oncilla
TAXONOMIC CLASSIFICATION:
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae
The oncilla, also known as the Little spotted cat, is a small spotted feline found in the tropical rainforests of Central and South America. It is one of the smallest cat species in the Americas, averaging 2.5 kg. Oncillas are daintily built cats, with a narrow head and a white line above the eyes. The large ears are rounded and black on the outside with a conspicuous white central spot. Their coat is light brown to rich ochre or grey, with very dark brown or black spots and blotches. The underside is pale with dark spots and the tail is ringed.
Although the oncilla has a petite frame, they are agile climbers and excellent hunters. Their tails are exceptionally long for negotiating treetops. They show a strong preference for montane forest and are usually found in high elevations. Oncillas are nocturnal animals. They make meals of rodents, small primates, birds, insects and reptiles.
This species has been widely hunted for the fur trade throughout its range. Other threats to these felines are deforestation and poaching. They are considered rare in most areas and common in none. CITES has placed them on Appendix I.
Saguinus oedipus
COMMON NAME: Cotton-headed tamarin
TAXONOMIC CLASSIFICATION:
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Family: Callitrichidae
The stunning c o t t o n -headed tamarin is one of South America’s most endangered primates. Its name describes the fantastic crest of long white hair flowing around the black face like a mane of white cotton. This small monkey has a long tail, which assists in balance. It is reddish orange towards the base and black towards the tip. Like marmosets and other tamarins, the ancestral primate nails on their toes and fingers have evolved into claws on all but their big toes, allowing them to climb in a squirrel-like fashion in the trees.
These social monkeys live in groups of 3 to 13 individuals, are territorial, scent marking their home ranges and defending them with showy confrontations, fluffing up their fur and making loud calls to scare away intruders and attract individuals from their own group.
The cotton-headed tamarin feeds on fruit, insects, tender vegetation, small vertebrates and bird eggs. With the exception of smaller prey, animals are killed with a bite to the head. When not feeding, much time is spent in social grooming.
The species is now confined to Colombia. The cotton-headed tamarin has been found in a variety of habitats from wetland tropical forest, to moist woodland forest and dry thorn forest savannah.
Deforestation is the greatest threat to this species. It has already lost most of its habitat through forest clearing for timber, charcoal, human settlement, agricultural land and industry. The cotton-headed tamarin is listed on Appendix 1 of CITES.
Geneva values (F.s. 1,00)
Panthera tigris altaica
COMMON NAME: Siberian tiger
TAXONOMIC CLASSIFICATION:
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae
One of the largest of the “big cats”, the tiger is an instantly recognizable and emotive animal. Like the other big cats, tigers are well adapted for hunting large prey and have short, heavily muscled forelimbs and long, sharp, retractable claws. Nine different subspecies of the tiger are recognized, three of which became extinct in the latter part of the 20th century. The different subspecies vary in their body size, coat colour and markings. The Siberian tiger is the largest and palest subspecies.
The range of the tiger once extended throughout central and southern Asia and as far west as eastern Turkey, but today the tiger survives only in scattered populations from India to Southeast Asia, and in Sumatra, China and the Russian Far East. It occurs in a wide range of habitats, requires dense cover, access to water and sufficient large prey.
The tiger is a predominately solitary creature that defends its territory against intruders of the same sex. It is a “stalk and ambush” predator, with its striped coat providing effective camouflage in tall grass and forest. Hunting mainly occurs at night and the principal prey consists of deer and wild pigs, but they also prey on a variety of other animals. Unlike other species of cats, tigers are competent swimmers; they will readily enter the water, and can be found lying half- submerged in streams and lakes in the midday heat.
Human activities are the principal cause of declining tiger numbers. Hunting was a major cause of mortality in the past. Poaching and illegal killing by livestock owners remains one of the major threats to the survival of the species. Habitat loss has occurred through much of the tiger’s range and also threatens survival, as land becomes rapidly developed. The species is listed on Appendix I of CITES.
Psittacella picta
COMMON NAME: Painted tiger- parrot
TAXONOMIC CLASSIFICATION:
Class: Aves
Order: Psittaciformes
Family: Psittacidae
The Painted tiger parrot is endemic to Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. It averages 19 cm or 7.5 inches in length, including the tail. The plumage is generally green, while the breast and abdomen are more yellowish green. The head is brownish-red, with more greyish-brown on the cheeks and ears. There is a narrow yellow band on the sides of the neck. The bills are blue/grey tipped with white and the eyes are orange. The females look like the males, but the yellow band on the neck is absent. Also, the cheeks and ear covers are greenish-blue and the breast and sides of the abdomen are yellow-striped with black.
Painted tiger parrots are found in montane forests, glades and forest edge, stunted moss forest, secondary growth habitat, alpine and subalpine shrubs, between 1,500 0 2,100 metres. Their natural diet consists of small hard seeds, berries and the fruits of Dacrydium conifers. They feed in low bushes, flying up to higher trees when startled.
While this species is not globally threatened, the Painted tiger parrot is listed in Appendix II of CITES.
Iguana iguana
COMMON NAME: Green iguana
TAXONOMIC CLASSIFICATION:
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Iguanidae
The green iguana is one of the best known reptiles due to its popularity in zoos and with private reptile keepers. It has a very distinctive appearance, with a large head and a pronounced dewlap (a fold of loose skin hanging below the throat). It has an impressive crest of comb-like spines that runs down the centre of the back and tail. While, like its name suggests, this iguana is usually a shade of green (from dull, grassy green to vivid turquoise), bright orange individuals may occur in the northern parts of its range and the colour may also vary with temperature, particularly when young, being bright green when hot and dull and dark when cold.
The green iguana has a wide distribution ranging from the Mexican states of Sinaloa and Veracruz, through Central America and into South America as far south as Peru, Paraguay and northern Argentina. Green iguanas most commonly inhabit tropical forest close to water. They are primarily a tree-dwelling reptile and a specialized leaf-eater, consuming the tender green leaves and flowers of a selection of trees, shrubs and herb vegetation. For over 90 per cent of the time, green iguanas are inactive and often, when they do move, they travel slowly. However, if required, green iguanas are capable of running fast and will dive into water to escape predators.
The green iguana is hunted in some countries for its beautiful, commercially valuable skin, prized flesh, and eggs. It is also frequently hunted for food. They are also captured live and exported for the pet trade. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES
Iguana iguana
COMMON NAME: Green iguana
TAXONOMIC CLASSIFICATION:
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Family: Iguanidae
The green iguana is one of the best known reptiles due to its popularity in zoos and with private reptile keepers. It has a very distinctive appearance, with a large head and a pronounced dewlap (a fold of loose skin hanging below the throat). It has an impressive crest of comb-like spines that runs down the centre of the back and tail. While, like its name suggests, this iguana is usually a shade of green (from dull, grassy green to vivid turquoise), bright orange individuals may occur in the northern parts of its range and the colour may also vary with temperature, particularly when young, being bright green when hot and dull and dark when cold.
The green iguana has a wide distribution ranging from the Mexican states of Sinaloa and Veracruz, through Central America and into South America as far south as Peru, Paraguay and northern Argentina. Green iguanas most commonly inhabit tropical forest close to water. They are primarily a tree-dwelling reptile and a specialized leaf-eater, consuming the tender green leaves and flowers of a selection of trees, shrubs and herb vegetation. For over 90 per cent of the time, green iguanas are inactive and often, when they do move, they travel slowly. However, if required, green iguanas are capable of running fast and will dive into water to escape predators.
The green iguana is hunted in some countries for its beautiful, commercially valuable skin, prized flesh, and eggs. It is also frequently hunted for food. They are also captured live and exported for the pet trade. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES
Propithecus tattersalli
COMMON NAME: Golden-crowned sifaka
TAXONOMIC CLASSIFICATION:
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Family: Indriidae
The goldencrowned sifaka is the smallest of the sifakas. Its coat is creamy white, and its common name is derived from the bright golden-orange crown. The shoulders, upper arms, chest and rump may also be tinged with this colour. The hairless, black face is drawn into a pronounced muzzle and the eyes are a bright orange colour. White hair frames the face and the ears are tufted, giving the face an almost triangular appearance. Their legs are powerful and considerably longer than their arms, which are adapted for upright leaping from tree to tree.
Endemic to Madagascar, the golden- crowned sifaka is found in fragments of forest centred on the village of Antanimarazoko. They inhabit dry, deciduous or semi - evergreen remnant forest patches and feed on a variety of unripe fruit, seeds, shoots and leaves and bark. Their entire range is just over 88,000 hectares.
Of all lemurs, the golden-crowned sifaka has one of the most limited distributions. Vast tracts of their habitat have been cleared and the isolated patches of forest that remain are under pressure from logging and bush fires. The species is also hunted in some areas, and the recent discovery of gold in the region has resulted in an influx of miners, causing further habitat loss and the hunting of lemurs for food. It is listed on Appendix I of CITES.
Vienna values (€ 0,70)
Panthera uncia
COMMON NAME: Snow leopard
TAXONOMIC CLASSIFICATION:
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae
The beautiful snow leopard is a white to smokygrey colour, with yellow tinged fur and patterned dark-grey to black rosettes and spots. The snow leopard has many adaptations for its cold habitat including long body hair and thick, woolly belly fur, large paws and a well-developed chest and enlarged nasal cavity that warms the cold air as it is breathed in. The long, thick tail is almost a metre in length and is used for balance and as added insulation when wrapped around the body and face at rest. The short forelimbs and long hind limbs enable this leopard to be particularly agile in its steep and rugged habitat.
The majority of snow leopards are located in the Tibetan region of China. Extremely fragmented populations are found in the harsh, remote, mountainous areas of central Asia. Most active at dawn and dusk, snow leopards are opportunistic predators capable of killing prey up to three times their own weight. Their prey consists mainly of wild sheep and goats, although livestock will also be taken. These cats will kill an average of one large animal twice a month.
The natural prey of the snow leopard has been systematically hunted out of many areas of the high central Asian mountains and leopard numbers have declined as a result. These big cats often turn to domestic stock as an alternative source of food and this can incite retaliation from local farmers, which has also contributed to its decline. The species is listed on Appendix I of CITES.
Polyplectron schleiermacheri
COMMON NAME: Bornean peacock-pheasant
TAXONOMIC CLASSIFICATION:
Class: Aves
Order: Galliformes
Family: Phasianidae
The highly t h r e a t e n e d Bornean peacockpheasant is a strikingly beautiful but elusive species. The upperparts and tail of the male Bornean peacock-pheasant are reddish-brown and liberally decorated with distinctive blue-green markings resembling eyes, known as “ocelli”. The male also has a pure white throat and upper breast, with a stunning metallic blue edge, and an orange, featherless face. The female Bornean peacock-pheasant is smaller and less colourful than the male. Vocalizations of both males and females are loud, harsh cackles.
The Bornean peacock-pheasant is endemic to Borneo (Indonesia and Malaysia). The range of the bird is not entirely understood due to the birds elusive nature, but it is thought to extend across the entire island.
The greatest threats to the Bornean peacock-pheasant are habitat loss and hunting. The forests of Borneo have been devastated by logging and clearance for plantations, particularly rubber and oil palm plantations. From 1985 to 1997, Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) lost around 25 per cent of its evergreen forests. Forest fires also pose a significant threat to the habitat of the Bornean peacock-pheasant. The species is listed on Appendix II of CITES.
Tyto novaehollandiae
COMMON NAME: Masked owl
TAXONOMIC CLASSIFICATION:
Class: Aves
Order: Strigiformes
Family: Tytonidae
The masked owl, also known as the Australian masked-owl is a medium-sized owl (40-50 cm long) with dark eyes set in a prominent flat, heartshaped facial disc that is encircled by a dark border. It has a stocky, often crouched posture, strong, heavy feet and feathered legs. This species exists in several colour forms, with wide variation in plumage. The upperparts are grey to dark brown with buff to rufous mottling and fine, pale spots. The underparts are white to rufous-brown with variable dark spotting. The palest birds have a white face with a brown patch around each eye; the darkest birds have a chestnut face.
Masked owls live in dry eucalypt forests and woodlands from sea level to 1,100 metres. They roost and breed in moist eucalypt forested gullies, using large tree hollows or sometimes caves for nesting. Their typical diet consists of tree-dwelling and ground mammals, especially rats. Its nocturnal and secretive behaviour pattern includes long periods at night without calling during the non-breeding season, and aversion to light, making it a difficult species to detect and study.
Major threats to the masked owl include the loss of trees which contain hollows and loss of habitat for its prey species, which in turn deprives the owl of its natural food source. Other threats include clearing of habitat for grazing, agriculture, forestry or other development. The species is listed in Appendix II of CITES.
Ambystoma mexicanum
COMMON NAME: Axolotl
TAXONOMIC CLASSIFICATION:
Class: Amphibia
Order: Caudata
Family: Ambystomatidae
The remarkable axolotl is part of the family of “mole salamanders”. It exhibits an unusual and extreme trait known as neoteny, or paedomorphosis. This is the retention of larval stage characteristics throughout its life, so axolotls usually never fully resemble an adult salamander. Unlike other amphibians, most axolotl fail to metamorphose, living permanently in water. Although it does develop lungs, the axolotl’s most bizarre feature is its retention of its branch-like gills, which are external projections from the neck on each side of the head. Each side has three branches covered with feathery filaments which increase the surface area for gas exchange. The axolotl has a long, slim and darkly coloured body, and short legs, with four digits on the front feet and five digits on the hind feet.
The axolotl is native to the ancient water channel system of Mexico City, preferring deep salty water with plenty of vegetation. It is inactive during the day, resting with its gills splayed. They move slowly and may surface occasionally to take a breath of air. Young axolotl feed on algae, but older individuals will eat aquatic invertebrates. The axolotl is primarily preyed upon by herons.
While there are large numbers of axolotls in captivity around the world, particularly in biomedical and physiological research laboratories, numbers of wild axolotls are very low. Previously, capture of this species for the international pet and research trade contributed to population declines, but the axolotl now breeds well in captivity, alleviating this threat. The most significant threat to the axolotl is the increasing pollution of the lakes and canal system as Mexico City continues to grow. The axolotl is listed on Appendix II of CITES.
