Sunday Stamps M4 Norway, South Africa, Switzerland

As it was my birthday yesterday I guess it is appropriate to start this week with a mushroom,

Switzerland - 6 March 2014

That long Latin name is for 'The Old Man of the Woods.'

From Norway I've selected another Latin name - 'Mustela erminea' - for a mammal.

Norway - 20 February 1989

We see these stoats occasionally near the local woods.

To maintain the 'M' theme I have to resort to yet another Latin name of a South African bird that is on the IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species - 'Morus capensis' - The Cape Gannet.

South Africa - 20 November 1974

For other 'M' related stamps just visit the links at Sunday-stamps-m.

Sunday Stamps Z3 - Tanzania, Switzerland

To bring this A-Z to an end I had to chose two countries with a 'Z' in their name but than found an extra 'Z' associated with them.

Switzerland - 4 February 1963

This building, Zunfthaus zu Waldlueten in Biel, is a guildhall for craftsmen - I haven't discovered which. But now you can see my hidden 'Z'.

I used a butterfly from Tanzania when doing 'X' but you have to look at this stamp to find the 'Z'.

Tanzania - 9 December 1967

The Yellowback Fusilier is a fish on the endangered Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
If you look closely 'Kijakazi Mrembo' appears at the top of the stamp. I have not succeeded in tracing this so far but is it  the name of the stamp's designer? The language appears to be Swahili for beautiful (mrembo) slave (kijakazi). Can anyone help me decipher this?

For other 'Z' stamps please visit Sunday-stamps-z where Zambia may be seen.

Mammals - Sunday Stamps

I have used many of my animal stamps before and as you might expect a lot of big mammals appeared on stamps from African countries. I'm sure you will recognise these from Benin.

Benin - Lion and African (Cape) Buffalo

The stamps also carry their scientific name - Panthera leo (Lion) and Syncerus caffer caffer (Buffalo).

I had to find out more about Benin and the postmark gave me a clue to the capital city of Cotonou.

These are two stamps from a set of 7 issued on 20 September 1995. The highest denomination (300f) is part of a mini-sheet for Faune Africaine which shows a magnificent elephant.

I acquired two more of the set at the same time.

Benin - Impala and Chimpanzee

Aepyceros melampus and Pan troglodytes are their scientific names.

The International Union of Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species includes the Chimpanzee which ironically is possibly extinct in Benin.

To see other mammals you should visit the links at Viridian's Sunday-Stamps-188.