2010 the international year of biodiversity

2010 has been chosen by the United Nations to be the year of biodiversity. At this occasion, a lot of actions have been launched all over the world to celebrate the biodiversity and to encourage the protection of the fauna and flora. If you are interested to know more about this event, click on the logo below.

For the pleasure of stamp collectors specialized in fauna and flora stamps, this initiative is celebrated by some postal administrations through issue of stamps or souvenir sheets. This is the case of South Africa that has issued on the 3rd of March 2010 a sheet containing four colorful stamps celebrating the biodiversity of the country.


The stamps picture various animals (and one tree) that can be found in South Africa. Clockwise the species that are represented are:

- Giant African Mantis (Sphodromantis viridis) a species of praying mantis which is sometimes kept as a pet (!) and Devil fire fish (Pterois miles) also known as the common lionfish

- Black Rhinoceros (Dicero bicornis) that is not black but actually grey or brown. The name was chosen to differentiate it from the White Rhinoceros.

- Common Chameleon (Chamaeleo chamaeleon) and Argus Reed Frog (Hyperolius argus)

- Lilac-breasted Roller (Coracias caudatus) and African Baobab (Adansonia digitata)

As you understood I bought this sheet because of the frog! The Argus Reed Frog is also called the African Reed Frog and is one of the five species of frogs in which males and females do not share the same color. The males are usually green and the females are reddish, therefore we can guess the stamp pictures a female.

Here is also the official FDC with a nice postmark picturing a chameleon.

If you know any other stamps issued for this international year of biodiversity I would be happy to hear from you.