endangered species - United Nations Postal Administration - ONU

More documents

Recommendations

Info

2012 ENDANGERED SPECIES New York (US$ 0.45) 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. http://unstamps.un.org 24
Saguinus oedipus COMMON NAME: Cotton-headed tamarin TAXONOMIC CLASSIFICATION: Class: Mammalia Order: Primates Family: Callitrichidae The stunning cotton-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 (CHF 1.00) Panthera tigris altaica COMMON NAME: Siberian tiger TAXONOMIC CLASSIFICATION: Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae One of the larg est 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 twentieth 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 edges, stunted moss forests, secondary growth habitat, alpine and subalpine shrubs, between 1,500 – 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. 2012 ENDANGERED SPECIES 25 http://unstamps.un.org
Page 1 and 2: No. 332-2/2012 Fascination The Phil
Page 3: ° ° . . 12 12 EP O S T V E R WA L
Page 6 and 7: AUTISM AWARENESS artists The United
Page 8 and 9: AUTISM AWARENESS ARTISTS US BESSER
Page 10 and 11: ADMINISTRATION POSTALE DES NATIONS
Page 12 and 13: 12 12 12 12 12 personalized Stamp s
Page 14 and 15: mint cancelled DEFINITIVE SERIES D
Page 16 and 17: mint cancelled Values in € Value
Page 18 and 19: ENDANGERED SPECIES 2012
Page 20 and 21: 2012 ENDANGERED SPECIES On 19 April
Page 22 and 23: 2012 2012 Ailuropoda melanoleuca (G
Page 26 and 27: 2012 Endangered species Iguana igua
Page 28: No. 332-2/2012 Fascination The Phil

endangered species - United Nations Postal Administration - ONU

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?