Spotted triggerfish (Polish postage stamp)

  Clown triggerfish (Balistoides conspicillum), also known as the bigspotted triggerfish, are demersal marine fish belonging to the family Balistidae, or commonly called triggerfish.

• Original Name: "Balistoides conspicillum"
• Country: Poland
• Year: 1967-04-01
• Series: Tropical fishes
• Face value: 60 gr
• Number of catalogue Michel: PL 1751

Diagonal butterflyfish (Polish postage stamp)

  The diagonal butterflyfish (Chaetodon fasciatus), also known as the Red Sea raccoon butterflyfish, is a species of butterflyfish (family Chaetodontidae). It is found in the Red Sea only.

  They have a yellow body with 11 diagonal stripes and reach a maximum length of 22 cm (c.9 in). In their native habitat, they swim over and around corals, on which they feed. They have also been observed feeding on gelatinous zooplankton, such as jellyfish (Scyphozoa) and comb jellies (Ctenophora).

• Original Name: "Chaetodon fasciatus"
• Country: Poland
• Year: 1967-04-01
• Series: Tropical fishes
• Face value: 40 gr
• Number of catalogue Michel: PL 1750

The emperor angelfish (Polish postage stamp)

  The emperor angelfish, Pomacanthus imperator, is a species of marine angelfish. It is a reef-associated fish, native to the Indian and Pacific Oceans, from the Red Sea to Hawaii and the Austral Islands. It ranges from coastal East Africa and the Red Sea in the west, to the Tuamotu Islands and Line Islands. Rare sightings have been recorded in the Hawaiian Islands, Puerto Rico, and Florida. These appearances are most likely due to aquarium release. Some populations have been observed as far as southern Japan to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, New Caledonia, and the Austral Islands. This species is generally associated with stable populations and faces no major threats of extinction. It is a favorite among photographers, artists, and aquarists because of its unique, brilliant pattern of coloration.

• Original Name: "Pomacanthus imperator juv."
• Country: Poland
• Year: 1967-04-01
• Series: Tropical fishes
• Face value: 10 gr
• Number of catalogue Michel: PL 1749

Striped butterflyfish (Polish postage stamp)

  The butterflyfishes are a group of conspicuous tropical marine fish of the family Chaetodontidae; the bannerfishes and coralfishes are also included in this group. The approximately 120 species in 10 genera are found mostly on the reefs of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. A number of species pairs occur in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, members of the huge genus Chaetodon.

• Original Name: "Chaetodon melanotus var."
• Country: Poland
• Year: 1967-04-01
• Series: Tropical fishes
• Face value: 5 gr
• Number of catalogue Michel: PL 1748

Cuban postcard (Castle of the Royal Force)

Castle of the Royal Force. Cuba.

  The Castillo de la Real Fuerza (English "Castle of the Royal Force") is a star fort on the western side of the harbour in Havana, Cuba, set back from the entrance, and bordering the Plaza de Armas. Originally built to defend against attack by pirates, it suffered from a poor strategic position, being too far inside the bay. The fort is considered to be the oldest stone fort in the Americas, and was listed in 1982 as part of the UNESCO World Heritage site of "Old Havana and its Fortifications".

• Original Name: "Castillo de la Real Fuerza. Cuba"
• Country: Republic of Cuba
• Subject: Nature

Cuban postcard (City view from the Morro)

City view from the Morro. Havana. Cuba.

  Morro Castle (Spanish: Castillo de los Tres Reyes Magos del Morro), named after the three biblical Magi, is a fortress guarding the entrance to Havana bay in Havana, Cuba. The design was drawn up by the Italian engineer Juan Bautista Antonelli; originally under the control of Spain, the fortress was captured by the British in 1762, and was returned to the Spanish under treaty terms a year later.

• Original Name: "Vista de la Ciudad desde el Morro. Ciudad de la Habana. Cuba"
• Country: Republic of Cuba
• Subject: Nature

Cuban postcard (Laguna del Tesoro. Cuba)

Input channel. Laguna del Tesoro. Cuba.

  This lake is 5km east of Boca de Guamá via the Canal de la Laguna, accessible only by boat. On the far (east) side of the 92-sq-km body of water is a tourist resort named Villa Guamá, built to resemble a Taíno village, on a dozen small islands.

• Original Name: "Canal de entrada. Laguna de Tesoro. Cuba"
• Country: Republic of Cuba
• Subject: Nature

Cuban postcard (Stone Museum, Guantanamo)

  The Zoological Museum of Stone, Guantanamo, Cuba. Snake is capturing the prey.

• Original Name: "Museo de Piedra, Yateras, Guantanamo, Cuba. Serpiente capturando una presa"
• Country: Republic of Cuba
• Subject: Animals

San Francisco garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia)

  The San Francisco garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia) is a slender multi-colored subspecies of the common garter snake. Designated as an endangered subspecies since the year 1967, it is endemic to San Mateo County and the extreme northern part of coastal Santa Cruz County in California. Some researchers estimate that there are only 1,000 to 2,000 adult snakes of the subspecies T. s. tetrataenia remaining. However, the full extent of the snakes' habitat has not been fully documented, and many snakes may utilize creeks and other waterways that are currently unexplored. This garter snake prefers wet and marshy areas, and because of its elusive nature, it is difficult to see or capture.

• Original Name: "Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia"
• Series: Reptiles
• Country: Cambodia (R.P. Kampuchea)
• Year: 1987-09-09
• Subject: Animals
• Perforation: comb 12¾
• Printing: offset lithography
• Face value: 3 riel
• Number of catalogue Michel: KH 888

European legless lizard (Ophisaurus apodus)

  The sheltopusik, also spelled scheltopusik, or European legless lizard (Pseudopus apodus) is a large glass lizard found from southern Europe to Central Asia. Its common name comes from Russian: желтопузик, literally "yellow-bellied". It was previously in the genus Ophisaurus, but has been placed in its own genus Pseudopus.

• Original Name: "Ophisaurus apodus"
• Series: Reptiles
• Country: Cambodia (R.P. Kampuchea)
• Year: 1987-09-09
• Subject: Animals
• Perforation: comb 12¾
• Printing: offset lithography
• Face value: 2 riel
• Number of catalogue Michel: KH 888

Chuckwalla (Sauromalus obesus)

  Chuckwallas are large lizards found primarily in arid regions of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. Some are found on coastal islands. There are five species of chuckwallas, all within the genus Sauromalus; they are part of the iguanid family, Iguanidae.

• Original Name: "Sauromalus obesus"
• Series: Reptiles
• Country: Cambodia (R.P. Kampuchea)
• Year: 1987-09-09
• Subject: Animals
• Perforation: comb 12¾
• Printing: offset lithography
• Face value: 1.5 riel
• Number of catalogue Michel: KH 887

Coast horned lizard (Phrynosoma Coronatum)

  The coast horned lizard (Phrynosoma coronatum) is a species of phrynosomatid lizard which can be found from Baja California north to California's Sacramento Valley. It is a widely divergent species with over 6 subspecies in their relatively small range. As a defense the lizard can shoot high pressure streams of blood out of its eyes if threatened.

• Original Name: "Phrynosoma Coronatum"
• Series: Reptiles
• Country: Cambodia (R.P. Kampuchea)
• Year: 1987-09-09
• Subject: Animals
• Perforation: comb 12¾
• Printing: offset lithography
• Face value: 1 riel
• Number of catalogue Michel: KH 886

Iguana (Cyclura macleayi)

  In 1938, Bernard C. Lewis of the Institute of Jamaica joined an Oxford University biological expedition to the Cayman Islands. Lewis was able to obtain two blue iguanas, a male and a female, which were later lodged with the British Museum of Natural History. Chapman Grant, in a monograph published in 1940, formally described the blue iguana for the first time as Cyclura macleayi lewisi. Schwartz and Carey established the trinomial (Cyclura nubila lewisi ) in 1977. They held that the blue iguana was a strongly distinct subspecies of the Cuban iguana (C. nubila), the species which it evolved from and can breed with. They emphasized its overall bright blue coloration, and noted that further study could reveal it to be a distinct species. Frederick Burton reclassified the blue iguana as a distinct species in 2004, after years of research comparing scale counts on the heads of Caribbean iguanas, including those found on Little Cayman, Cayman Brac, Cuba, and the Bahamas, as well as mitochondrial DNA analysis performed by Dr. Catherine Malone, to re-examine the phylogeography of the different species.

• Original Name: "Cyclura macleayi"
• Series: Reptiles
• Country: Cambodia (R.P. Kampuchea)
• Year: 1987-09-09
• Subject: Animals
• Perforation: comb 12¾
• Printing: offset lithography
• Face value: 0.80 riel
• Number of catalogue Michel: KH 885

Agamid lizard (Uromastyx acanthinuros)

  Uromastyx is a genus of African and Asian agamid lizards, the member species of which are commonly called spiny-tailed lizards, uromastyces, mastigures, or dabb lizards. Lizards in the genus Uromastyx are primarily herbivorous, but occasionally eat insects, especially young lizards. They spend most of their waking hours basking in the sun, hiding in underground chambers at daytime or when danger appears. They tend to establish themselves in hilly, rocky areas with good shelter and accessible vegetation.

• Original Name: "Uromastyx acanthinuros"
• Series: Reptiles
• Country: Cambodia (R.P. Kampuchea)
• Year: 1987-09-09
• Subject: Animals
• Perforation: comb 12¾
• Printing: offset lithography
• Face value: 0.50 riel
• Number of catalogue Michel: KH 884

Aldabra giant tortoise (Testudo gigantea)

  The Aldabra giant tortoise (Aldabrachelys gigantea), from the islands of the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles, is one of the largest tortoises in the world. Historically, giant tortoises were on many of the western Indian Ocean islands, as well as Madagascar, and the fossil record indicates giant tortoises once occurred on every continent and many islands with the exception of Australia and Antarctica. Many of the Indian Ocean species were thought to be driven to extinction by over-exploitation by European sailors, and they were all seemingly extinct by 1840 with the exception of the Aldabran giant tortoise on the island atoll of Aldabra. Although some remnant individuals of A. g. hololissa and A. g. arnoldi may remain in captivity, in recent times, these have all been reduced as subspecies of A. g. gigantea.

• Original Name: "Testudo gigantea"
• Series: Reptiles
• Country: Cambodia (R.P. Kampuchea)
• Year: 1987-09-09
• Subject: Animals
• Perforation: comb 12¾
• Printing: offset lithography
• Face value: 0.20 riel
• Number of catalogue Michel: KH 883

The Siberian Tiger

  The Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica), also known as the Amur tiger, is a tiger subspecies inhabiting mainly the Sikhote Alin mountain region with a small population in southwest Primorye Province in the Russian Far East. In 2005, there were 331–393 adult and subadult Amur tigers in this region, with a breeding adult population of about 250 individuals. The population had been stable for more than a decade due to intensive conservation efforts, but partial surveys conducted after 2005 indicate that the Russian tiger population was declining. By 2015, the Siberian tiger population has increased to 480–540 individuals in the Russian Far East, including 100 cubs. A more detailed census revealed a total population of 562 wild Siberian tigers in Russia.

• Original Name: "Амурский тигр"
• Series: Fauna of USSR
• Country: USSR
• Year: 1977-12-16
• Subject: Animals
• Face value: 30 kop
• Number of catalogue Michel: SU 4685
• Printing: Photogravure and Recess

Walrus (Odobenus rosmarus)

  The walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) is a large flippered marine mammal with a discontinuous distribution about the North Pole in the Arctic Ocean and subarctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere. The walrus is the only living species in the family Odobenidae and genus Odobenus. This species is subdivided into three subspecies:[3] the Atlantic walrus (O. r. rosmarus) which lives in the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific walrus (O. r. divergens) which lives in the Pacific Ocean, and O. r. laptevi, which lives in the Laptev Sea of the Arctic Ocean.

• Original Name: "Морж"
• Series: Fauna of USSR
• Country: USSR
• Year: 1977-12-16
• Subject: Animals
• Face value: 30 kop
• Number of catalogue Michel: SU 4684
• Printing: Photogravure and Recess