Canada Postage Stamp - Mint unused, Snow Mammals Souvenir sheet of 5 Permanent Stamps, the ermine, snowshoe hare, Arctic fox, Peary caribou and northern collared lemming.
Canada Post’s Snow Mammals souvenir sheet. In the lower left-hand corner of each stamp, visible only under ultraviolet (black) light, is a set of the animal’s tracks as they would appear in fresh snow.
Life in the wild can be a deadly game of hide and seek, where blending in with the landscape is critical to survival. These stamps – issued in the depths of our Canadian winter – showcase five native mammals that share the remarkable characteristic of changing colour with the seasons.
Not surprisingly, given the drastic change much of our landscape undergoes from summer to winter, Canada is home to more species of mammals that moult from shades of brown or grey to white – and back again in spring – than any other country in the world.
The five featured on these stamps represent the hunters and the hunted. The ermine and the Arctic fox are predators that blend into the snowy background to sneak up on their next meal. The snowshoe hare, Peary caribou and northern collared lemming are prey that rely on their camouflage to avoid detection.
“These creatures are like ghosts, travelling on or under the snow without a sound,” says Dominique Fauteux, a research scientist at the Canadian Museum of Nature. “Their unique adaptation invokes a very poetic view of winter as not only silent and calm, but also dangerous.”
The seasonal change of outerwear that makes these mammals distinctive is the result of a complex physiological process influenced by sensitivity to changes in daylight, rather than temperature. Starting around the first snowfall, their lighter-weight, darker-coloured coats moult to a heavier, more insulating white. This gradual process reverses in the warmer months, beginning around the spring melt.
Only 19 species of mammals worldwide (about 0.3 per cent) change colour in response to winter: Canada is home to 12 of them.
These unused, vintage postage stamps are great for collectors, crafters and artists. Use them to enhance your journal, scrapbook, bookmarks, collage, stationary, cards, decoupage, envelopes, or other papercraft project. They can even be framed as a beautiful piece of vintage décor.
=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=x=
Items are shipped using Canada Post without tracking to keep costs low. This is the most economical option. Canada Post is incredibly reliable, but can be slow. Although not common, it can take up to 2 1/2 weeks for a parcel to reach a U.S. destination and 4 to 5 weeks for an international address.
Full and half sheets may be folded for shipping. Please let us know if this does not work for you.
If you require tracking or a faster delivery please message before ordering.
If you have a question or if you are unclear about shipping policies please contact us.
We will ship products anywhere in the world, however, please make sure you check with your country's customs office to be sure that they are allowed in. We will not be held responsible for orders held, confiscated and/or destroyed by customs. Please note this and make sure you understand before you buy it.
We welcome questions! Contact us before, after, or during any transaction and you will receive a reply ASAP.