Romfilatelia offers to collectors a new philatelic theme dedicated to Fauna, through the postage stamps issue Squirrels, which will enter into circulation on Wednesday, June 10th, 2020.
Squirrels (Sciuridae family) are mammals that are part of the large group of rodents, the family comprising about 55 species, spreading in the most part of Europe and Asia, and in the New World from southern Canada to northern Argentina. They generally populate coniferous, deciduous and tropical forests, both in wetlands and arid areas.
Indian Giant Squirrel – Ratufa indica (Erxleben, 1777), illustrated on the stamp with the face value of Lei 3.30, includes four species that, as the popular name suggests, are large species, the length of the head and trunk reaching up to 457 mm, to which the tail of approximately the same length is added. The weight is between 1.5 and 3 kg.
The Indian Giant Squirrel comprises four or five recognized subspecies, one of which has the potential to be considered a distinct species, all being endemic to south-western, central and eastern India.
Indian Palm Squirrel – Funambulus palmarum (Linnaeus, 1766), represented on the stamp with the face value of Lei 5, it is one of the five species of Asian-striped squirrels of the Funambulus genus, whose species are widespread in areas with palms and lowlands in India and Sri Lanka.
Squirrels, under normal conditions, do not cause damages, but in the absence of regular food sources can gnaw the bark of shrubs and eat freshly sprouted wheat threads. This is the case of the Gray Squirrel – Sciurus carolinensis Gmelin, 1788, rendered on the stamp with the face value of Lei 8.50.
It prefers mature deciduous and mixed forests, their specific composition being decisive for the local size of the populations of Gray Squirrels, the densities being influenced by the number of trees that produce nuts and acorns.
The Eurasian Red Squirrel – Sciurus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758, illustrated on the stamp with the face value of Lei 12, is widespread throughout the forest area of the Palearctic region, from Ireland to Japan.
In the south, it reaches the Mediterranean Sea, southern Ural Mountains, Altai, central Mongolia, Manchuria, Korea, and north-eastern China.
It prefers forests with tall and hollow trees, with dense branches that allow a good nesting location. It gets installed in the edges of woods if there are orchards with fruit trees in the vicinity, especially with walnuts.
Romfilatelia thanks the “Grigore Antipa” National Museum of Natural History from Bucharest for the documentary support granted to the achievement of this postage stamps issue.
