Romania
2016
"Prehistoric animals"
Issue Date |
22.01.2016 |
ID |
Michel: 7027-7030;
Scott: 5753-5756;
Stanley Gibbons: ;
Yvert et Tellier: 59745977- ;
Category: pR |
Design |
Stamps design: Razvan Popescu.
Artwork: Jakub Kowalski for the Transylvanian Dinosaur Museum.
|
Stamps in set |
4 |
Value |
RON 2.00 - Balaur bondoc
RON 3.00 - Theriosuchus sympiestodon
RON 3.30 - Magyarosaurus dacus
RON 14.50 - Kogaionon ungureanui
|
Size (width x height) |
stamps: 48 mm x33 mm
Mini-Sheet: 134 x 134 mm,
Mini-Sheet (limited edition): 112 x 148 mm,
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Layout |
Sheets of 32 stamps,
Mini-Sheets of 5 + label,
Mini-Sheet (limited edition) of 4
|
Products |
FDC x1, MS x4, Souvenir Booklet x1, MC x4 |
Paper |
Chromo-gummed paper - UK origin |
Perforation |
13.25 x 13.25 |
Print Technique |
Offset, 4 colours |
Printed by |
Fabrica de timbre |
Quantity |
6400 stamp sets in sheets,
6600 sets in Mini sheets,
FDC: 470, Maxi Cards: 200,
Souvenir Booklet, with limited
edition Mini-Sheets: 245
|
Issuing Authority |
SC Romfilatelia SA |
On January 22
nd, 2016, Post Authority of Romania issued the set of 4 stamps depicting
some prehistoric animals who lived 70 million years ago, on the territory that is today Tara Hategului.
The following text was published on the website of Romfilatelia in 2005
The territory that is today Tara Hategului was part of a tropical island in the Tethys Ocean,
the ocean separating Eurasia from Gondwana, following the fragmentation of the
single continent, Pangaea.
The island was populated by an exotic association of prehistoric animals,
whose remains are today preserved in the rocks of the Tara Hategului.
Here were discovered numerous sites with bones of crocodiles, turtles, mammals,
flying reptiles, birds and a large number of fossils of
dwarf dinosaurs, herbivores and carnivores, unique in the world,
together with nests of dinosaur eggs.
Lack of permanent links of the island with the mainland areas determined, in time,
the adaptation of the dinosaurs's size to a small space and smaller quantities of food.
The dinosaurs that lived here were smaller than those on the mainland, being known in the
scientific world as the
dwarf dinosaurs of Transylvania.
This phenomenon has been termed as insular dwarfism and could also be observed in other
types of animals.
Dinosaurs Geopark - Tara Hategului is an area of research, education and sustainable development,
committed to preserving the geological, natural and cultural heritage, and strengthening
the identity of local communities.
It is a natural park and a UNESCO Global Geopark, managed by the University of
Bucharest, and member of the European Geoparks Network and the Global
Geoparks Network supported by UNESCO.
The postage stamp issue presents prehistoric animals whose fossils were discovered in Tara
Hategului and which are important elements in building a Museum of
Transylvanian Dinosaurs and the Geopark's development.
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Balaur Bondoc on stamp of Romania 2016
MiNr.: 7027, Scott: 5753.
|
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Theriosuchus sympiestodon on stamp of Romania 2016
MiNr.: 7028, Scott: 5754.
|
|
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Magyarosaurus dacus on stamp of Romania 2016
MiNr.: 7029, Scott: 5755.
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Kogaionon ungureanui on stamp of Romania 2016
MiNr.: 7030, Scott: 5756.
|
Balaur bondoc,
depicted on the postage stamp with the face value of 2L, was a
predatory dinosaur, having a body length of 1.80 - 2 meters, covered with feathers.
This predator had a powerful torso and very solid hind limbs
with two sickle claws, while the forelimbs were more elongated and
equipped with only two functional fingers.
Despite its small stature,
Balaur was not
an island dwarf; his relatives from other continents (Asia, North America) were not
much larger in size.
Island adaptations of this animal sooner affected the construction
of his body and consequently his way of life.
The massiveness of his body compared with that of his close relative, the
Velociraptor,
suggests that
Balaur preferred stability during walking at the expense of speed -
something clearly advisable, given the irregular terrain, sometimes rocky, of the island that it populated.
Theriosuchus sympiestodon
depicted on the postage stamp with the face value of 3L,
was a primitive crocodile that lived in Hateg about 70 million years ago.
Theriosuchus was a real "living fossil" - it was part of a family
whose members had already disappeared in other parts of Europe millions
of years earlier.
Though related to current representatives of crocodilians such as the crocodile or the alligator,
Theriosuchus had a vastly different way of life from them.
Crocodilians today are usually semi-aquatic, large size carnivores, and relatively slow moving, hunting
by ambush at the water's edge, while
Theriosuchus was small (about 1 meter long), partly
terrestrial and probably largely omnivorous - as proven by his small, triangular and flattened teeth.
Magyarosaurus dacus,
illustrated on the postage stamp with the face value of 3.30L, was a
herbivorous dinosaur with a length of 7 meters and a height of 3 - 4 meters, one
of the largest prehistoric animals from the Hateg area.
It weighed 800 - 900 kg.
It walked on four legs, having a very long neck and tail.
This species is one of the best examples of insular dwarfism identified worldwide.
For a long time, it was considered plausible that specimens of
Magyarosaurus,
discovered in the Hateg Basin, belonged to young individuals, still growing.
Recently, bone microstructure studies showed, however, that these
small specimens (their relatives in France reached 10 - 12 meters in length) were fully
- at least developed adults, showing that
Magyarosaurus was indeed a "dwarf"
according to dinosaur standards.
Kogaionon ungureanui
is illustrated on the postage stamp with the face value of 14.50L.
It was a small mammal, described and known only in Tara Hategului.
From it, a complete skull was kept, which is extremely rare in mammals during the Late Cretaceous.
Kogaionon is part of a group of mammals extinct for over 35 million years, called multituberculates.
These mammals, related only distantly to today's mammals (marsupials and placental), were
characterized by a highly specialized dentition, their molars' surface being
covered by a large number of small protrusions - "tubercles".
The morphology of the teeth suggests that
Kogaionon was omnivorous, unlike other mammals
of the Late Cretaceous, which were mostly insectivorous or carnivorous.
Hatzegopteryx thambema
depicted on the cachet of the FDC was a pterosaurs - a flying reptile - of gigantic
proportions.
Discovered fragments show a wingspan of 12 meters and a skull length of over 1 meter,
it being considered one of the greatest flying organisms of all time.
The association of a flying giant dinosaur with the dwarf dinosaurs of Hateg
Island may seem a paradox - explained by the fact that by its aerial way of life,
Hatzegopteryx was not strictly constrained to the scope of this island and could
easily reach other food sources, unlike the terrestrial dinosaurs.
Products and associated philatelic items
FDC |
First-Day-of-Issue Postmark |
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Mini-Sheets |
Mini-Sheet (limited edition) |
Maxi Cards |
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This numbered Mini-Sheet was sold in the limited edition
booklet
with detailed description of the prehistoric animals and FDC.
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References
Acknowledgements:
Many thanks to
Dr.
Peter Voice from Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Western Michigan University,
for reviewing the draft page.