PRE-ORDER Squirrels

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS ISSUE IS ONLY AVAILABLE AS PRE-ORDER!

ANY PRODUCT ORDERED FROM THIS ISSUE WILL NOT BE DISPATCHED UNTIL THE OFFICIAL ISSUE DATE 1ST OCTOBER!

Romfilatelia and the Romanian Post introduce into circulation on Wednesday, October 1st, this year a postage stamp issue belonging to the Fauna theme, under the generic title SQUIRRELS.

The issue consists of four postage stamps, a First Day Cover, for maximaphily enthusiasts and a philatelic folder with special product in a limited edition.

Rodent mammals, squirrels are widespread on almost every continent and are known for their agility and climbing ability. They are easily identified by their bushy tails.

They belong to the Sciuridae family, which includes marmots, gophers and flying squirrels. They are omnivorous, their food consisting of nuts, acorns, hazelnuts, seeds, mushrooms, fruit, as well as the eggs of birds, insects and small animals.

The usual habitat of Eurasian squirrels is coniferous and deciduous forests, but they have also adapted to the conditions found in urban parks and gardens.

They play a beneficial role in the ecosystem by spreading seeds and eating small invertebrates, reducing the use of pesticides to control them.

In the wild, squirrels live for 3 to 6 years, and if raised and cared for in specially designed habitats, up to 10 and even 20 years.

The images of the four postage stamps depict the following squirrel species:

The Northern Amazon Red Squirrel - Sciurus (Hadrosciurus) igniventris (on postage stamp with the face value of Lei 6.50). It is widespread in the west and northwest of the Amazon-Orinoco basin, as well as in the Colombian Andes. It lives in tropical rainforests, often feeding on the hard fruits of palm species.

The Arizona Gray Squirrel - Sciurus (Parasciurus) arizonensis (on postage stamp with the face value of Lei 7), ranges in Arizona and New Mexico (USA) and Sonora (Mexico). It feeds mainly on acorns and pine seeds.

The Brazilian Squirrel - Sciurus (Guerlinguetus) aestuans (on postage stamp with the face value of Lei 9) is a South American endemic species found in northern and central Brazil, as well as in some neighbouring areas (Colombia, Venezuela, Guianas region). It is found in various types of forest, feeding on acorns, acorn buds, pine seeds, various fruits, as well as insects.

The Fox Squirrel - Sciurus (Parasciurus) niger (on postage stamp with the face value of Lei 11), also called the Eastern fox squirrel, is found in central, southern and eastern North America, southern Canada and northern Mexico. It is the largest squirrel species on the North American continent. Foods include acorns, acorn buds, pine seeds, fruits, as well as insects.

The First Day Cover illustrates an evocative moment of squirrels in a deciduous forest environment.

The philatelic folder is created into a limited run printing of 231 pieces and is equipped with the special philatelic block of four imperforated stamps with safety perforation of the issue. The special philatelic block is numbered from 001 to 231.

Romfilatelia would like to thank the Scientific Researcher Grade I Luis Ovidiu Popa, Director of ‘Grigore Antipa’ National Museum of Natural History and the museographer Alexandru Iftime, PhD, for their specialized consultancy in the development of this issue of postage stamps.