Stamp of approval for International Wildlife Week

The SA Post Office is celebrating World Wildlife Week with wet and slippery subjects: South Africa’s endangered frogs, depicted on a set of four stamps and a commemorative envelope. The stamps are available from the SA Post Office’s Philatelic Services in Pretoria, and can be ordered by sending an email to SA.Stamps@postoffice.co.za(link sends e-mail).

A set of stamps cost R149,80 plus postage and packaging for mail orders.

The set of four stamps and commemorative envelope feature five threatened frog species that occur only within South Africa. The SA Post Office worked closely with the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), in particular their Threatened Amphibian Programme, during the creation of this educational stamp theme.

The Rose Mountain Toad – Capensibufo rosei, is the first to be featured on one of the stamps.  This little toad exists only in two areas in the Table Mountain National Park in the Western Cape, and nowhere else in the world. It is the only known amphibian in SA that is voiceless and deaf and it breeds in temporary puddles.

The Northern Moss Frog – Arthroleptella subvoce, is South Africa’s smallest frog with a maximum size of only 14mm. It occurs only in three tiny areas within montane fynbos inside the Groot Winterhoek Wilderness Area, Western Cape. Its voice is soft – as you can expect at such a small size – hence its Latin name subvoce.

The Rough Moss Frog – Arthroleptella rugosa was discovered only in 2008 near Caledon in the Western Cape, the only area where it occurs.

The Table Mountain Ghost Frog, Heleophryne rosei, is named for its elusive nature. It occurs in the streams and of a small area in the south-eastern side of Table Mountain, and is well adapted for gripping the wet surfaces of the rocks in the streams where it lives.

The Micro Frog, Microbatrachella capensis is about 2 cm in size. It is endemic to only three areas of the south-western Cape and thrives in low-lying coastal fynbos.

The Amathole Toad, Vandijkophrynus amatolicus, is featured on the Com-memorative envelope. It lives in the Amathole Mountains, between Katberg and Keiskammahoek of the Eastern Cape Province.

Globally 41% of amphibians considered to be at risk of extinction. As the most threatened group of animals on Earth, it was appropriate for the SA Post Office to feature amphibians on the Endangered Species stamps that celebrate World Wildlife Week.

We can all make a difference to the survival of amphibians through our daily life choices: avoid poisons and pesticides, plant indigenous, and making a simple pond in your garden.

Source: Government of South Africa