2927 CANADA (Newfoundland and Labrador) - Atlantic puffin colony in Witless Bay Ecological Reserve

The Atlantic puffin (Fratercula arctica), also known as the common puffin, is a species of seabird in the auk family. It is the only puffin native to the Atlantic Ocean, and breeds in Iceland, Norway, Greenland, Newfoundland and many North Atlantic islands. Although it has a large population and a wide range, the species has declined rapidly, resulting in it being rated as vulnerable by the IUCN. This puffin has a black crown and back, pale grey cheek patches and white underparts. Its broad, boldly marked red and black beak and orange legs contrast with its plumage.

2879 ETHIOPIA (Amhara) - Simien National Park (UNESCO WHS)

2879 Walia ibex in Simien National Park

Simien National Park covers the Simien Mountains and includes Ras Dashan, the highest point in Ethiopia. It is a spectacular landscape, where massive erosion over millions of years has created jagged mountain peaks, deep valleys and sharp precipices dropping some 1,500 m. The park is of global significance for biodiversity conservation because it is home to globally threatened species, including the iconic Walia ibex, the Gelada baboon and the Ethiopian wolf.

2757 FRANCE (Saint Barthélemy) - Lesser Antillean Iguana

The Lesser Antillean iguana (Iguana delicatissima) is a large arboreal lizard endemic to the Lesser Antilles. It is one of two species of lizard of the genus Iguana and is in severe decline due to habitat destruction, feral predators, hunting, and hybridization with its sister species the Green Iguana. Another common name for it is the West Indian iguana, though this is more commonly used for species of the genus Cyclura. The species was first officially described by Austrian naturalist Josephus Nicolaus Laurenti in 1768.

1383, 2199 UGANDA - Animals

1383 Lion, African elephants, African
buffalo, Common hippopotamus

Posted on 29.12.2014, 09.01.2016
Located on the East African plateau, almost completely within the Nile basin, Uganda has an average altitude of about 1,100m, its slopes descending to the Sudanese Plain to the north, while its centre is dominated by  Lake Kyoga, surrounded by extensive marshy areas, and in south occupy a part of the shore of Lake Victoria. Although generally equatorial, the climate is not uniform as large variations in the altitude modify the climate. Therefore, it is no wonder that the country has 60 protected areas, including ten national parks, and two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, being home to a vast number of species of plants and animals. In the postcard are four of the most popular species to live in this country, four of the "big five" (missing only the African leopard).

2199 Leopard, Nile crocodile, Ugandan Kob, Hartebeest, Plains zebra

Lion (Panthera leo) - is the second-largest living cat after the tiger. Wild lions currently exist in sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia, and are apex and  keystone predators. Until the late Pleistocene, about 10,000 years ago, it was the most widespread large land mammal after humans. They typically inhabit savanna and grassland, are unusually social compared to other cats, and live for 10-14 years. Groups of female lions typically hunt together, preying mostly on large ungulates. Sleeping mainly during the day, they are primarily nocturnal, although bordering on crepuscular in nature. It is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN.

2016 FRANCE (Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) - Wisents in Safari de Peaugres

The wisent, also known as European bison (Bison bonasus), is one of two extant species of bison, alongside the American bison. They were hunted to extinction in the wild in southern Sweden in the 11th century, in Southern England in the 12th century, in the Ardennes and the Vosges Mountains in the 15th century, in Transylvania in 1790, in the Białowieża Forest (on the Poland-Belarus border) in 1921, and in the northwestern Caucasus in 1927. In 1927 less than 50 wisent were left in the world, all in zoos.

1705, 1754 UNITED KINGDOM (Turks and Caicos Islands) - Turks and Caicos Islands (UNESCO WHS - Tentative List)

1754 Turks and Caicos Islands - Chalk Sound

 

Posted on 01.07.2015, 18.07.2015
The Turks and Caicos Islands have a high number of endemic species and others of international importance, partially dependent on the conditions created by the oldest established salt-pan development in the Caribbean. The islands are also important as a breeding area for seabirds and is a wetland site of international importance containing a variety of marine and coastal habitat types. There are also shallow inland ponds linked to the sea in times of storm and/or via subterranean channels.

1705 - Turks and Caicos rock iguana

Chalk Sound is a scenic natural lagoon on the southwest of Providenciales. Although the sound is nearly landlocked, the water here is clean and algae free. It has the unique feature of having hundreds of small rocky islands in shallow brilliant turquoise water. Many of the tiny islets are populated with rock iguanas, who exist by foraging for fruit, plants, prickly pear cactuses and the occasional insect. In the tranquil waters can be found also barracudas, bonefish, stingrays, lemon sharks and sea turtles. There is an old-fashioned, twin-engine airplane wreck that partially sticks out of the water. The wreckage is covered in algae, and it always delights visitors.

1752 BOTSWANA - Animal families

As I say here, even if up to 70% of Botswana's territory is occupied by the Kalahari Desert, the country has a spectacular abundance of wildlife. Species diversity is not particularly spectacular, compared to other regions in southern Africa, but the conservation areas are among the most popular ecotourist destinations in this part of the continent. A total of 30.2% of Botswana is protected for wildlife, which is a high percentage by Africa standards. In the postcard are families of the most known animal species in the country: Burchell's zebra; giraffe; hippos; elephant; cheetah; Chacma baboon; lion.

1701 BOTSWANA - Makgadikgadi Pan, Okavango Delta, Chobe National Park, and Tuli Block (UNESCO WHS and Tentative List)

Botswana is topographically flat, with up to 70% of its territory being the Kalahari Desert, but nevertheless has diverse areas of wildlife habitat. Lying southeast of the Okavango Delta and surrounded by the Kalahari Desert, the Makgadikgadi Pan is all that remained of a lake which dried up several thousand years ago, now being one of the largest salt flats in the world. Seasonally covered with water and grass, is a refuge for birds and animals. The fringes of the pan are salt marshes and further out these are circled by grassland and then shrubby savanna. Kubu Island is an igneous rock "island" located in the southwestern quadrant of Sua Pan, and contains a number of baobab trees (in the picture). These trees function as local landmarks, and one of them, named after James Chapman, served as an unofficial post office for 19th-century explorers. It was submitted in 2010 on the Tentative List of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

1377, 1563 RWANDA - Mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park

1377 - A mountain gorilla in Volcanoes National Park

Posted on 26.12.2014, and 03.05.2015
Volcanoes National Park lies in northwestern Rwanda and borders  Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda. It is home to five of the eight volcanoes of the Virunga Mountains (Karisimbi, Bisoke, Muhabura, Gahinga and Sabyinyo), which are covered in rainforest and bamboo, and a haven for the mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei), one of the two subspecies of the eastern gorilla, the largest living primate. The vegetation is very dense at the bottom of the mountains, becoming more sparse at higher elevations, and the forests where the mountain gorilla lives are often cloudy, misty and cold. Despite their recent population growth (the overall population is now believed to be at least 880 individuals), the mountain gorilla remains threatened. As of 2008, they were listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List and are dependent on conservation efforts to survive.

1563 - A cub of mountain gorilla

The mountain gorilla is primarily terrestrial, quadrupedal, and herbivore, but it will climb into fruiting trees if the branches can carry its weight, and it is capable of running bipedally up to 6m. Like all great apes other than humans, its arms are longer than its legs. Males, at a mean weight of 195kg and upright standing height of 150cm usually weigh twice as much as the females. Gorillas can be identified by nose prints unique to each individual. Adult males are called silverbacks because a saddle of gray or silver-colored hair develops on their backs with age. It is highly social, and lives in relatively stable, cohesive groups held together by long-term bonds between adult males and females. Relationships among females are relatively weak. These groups are nonterritorial; the silverback generally defends his group rather than his territory.

1500 CONGO-KINSHASA - Virunga National Park (UNESCO WHS)

Located in the centre of the Albertine Rift, of the Great Rift Valley, the Virunga National Park (formerly named Albert National Park) stretches from the Virunga Mountains in the South, to the Rwenzori Mountains in the North, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, bordering Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Rwenzori Mountains National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda. It comprises an outstanding diversity of habitats, ranging from swamps and steppes to the snowfields of Rwenzori at an altitude of over 5,000 m, and from lava plains to the savannahs on the slopes of volcanoes. The wide diversity of habitats produces exceptional biodiversity, notably endemic species and rare and globally threatened species. Mountain gorillas are found in the park, some 20,000 hippopotamuses live in the rivers and birds from Siberia spend the winter there.

1192 SAINT VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES - The national bird of the country

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is an island country in the Lesser Antilles Island arc, in the southern portion of the Windward Islands, between Saint Lucia, Barbados and Grenada. The country has a French and British colonial history and is independent since 1979. Its national bird is Saint Vincent Parrot (Amazona guildingii), known also as Saint Vincent Amazon. It is the only type of parrot on the island, and also an endemic species. It is a large, approximately 40 cm long, multi-colored parrot, with a yellowish white, blue and green head, greenish-bronze upperparts plumage, and violet blue-green wings. There is no difference in plumage or size between the sexes, and the immatures are duller than the adult birds. This noisy parrot uses a variety of calls including yapping, honking, shrieking, bubbling and squawking. Hunting for food, trapping for the cage-bird trade and habitat loss were the principal causes of this species's decline. Deforestation has been the result of forestry activities, the expansion of banana cultivation, charcoal production, the loss of nesting-trees felled by trappers seeking young birds for trade, and natural events such as hurricanes and volcanic eruptions. Due to all of these contributing factors, the St. Vincent Parrot is considered Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

0363 UNITED KINGDOM (South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands) - Wandering Albatross

Considered Antarctic territories, because are located south to the Antarctic Convergence, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI) have a polar climate, at higher elevations being permanently covered with ice and snow. In addition, most of the islands, rising steeply from the sea, are rugged and mountainous. As a result, they are inhospitable for humans. On the other hand, they embrace many rocks offshore and small islands that provide homes for breeding birds and mammals.

0504 SEYCHELLES (Praslin) - Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve (UNESCO WHS)

Praslin, named like that in 1768 in honor of French diplomat César Gabriel de Choiseul, duc de Praslin, is the second largest island of the Seychelles, lying 44 km north east of Mahé. In the heart of the island is Vallée de Mai Nature Reserve, an area which was untouched until the 1930s and still retains primeval palm forest in a near-natural state, with six endemic palms, among which is Coco de Mer (Lodoicea maldivica), the sole member of the genus Lodoicea. Also unique to the park is its wildlife, including birds such as the rare Seychelles Black Parrot, mammals, crustaceans, snails, and reptiles.

0337 INDONESIA (Lesser Sunda) - Komodo National Park (UNESCO WHS)

 

The Komodo National Park, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991, and also selected as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature, includes three larger islands (Komodo, Padar and Rincah), and 26 smaller ones. The park was initially established to conserve the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), a large species of lizard found in the islands of Komodo, Rinca, Flores, Gili Motang and Padar, but later it was expanded to protecting its entire biodiversity, both marine and terrestrial.

0297 BHUTAN – Snow leopard

Solitary snow leopard (Panthera uncia) roam the harsh mountain terrain of Central Asia, and can be seen in 12 countries, respectively in Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Smaller than the other big cats, it has long thick fur, and its base colour varies from smoky gray to yellowish tan, with dark gray to black open rosettes on body, small spots of the same color on head and larger spots on legs and tail. Unlike other big cats, it has pale green or gray eyes, and... can't roar.