Sealed destiny?

Monachus monachus (Herrmann, 1779), picture from marinebio.org

The Mediterranean monk seal, Monachus monachus (Herrmann, 1779), sometimes appearing also around Malta (Lanfranco, 1969), is one of the species cited as being 'close to extinction' by the EU environment commissioner Janez Potocnik. About 400 individuals are left around the Mediterranean and many factors heavily influence the decline of the population, including viral diseases, though most threats are anthropogenic.

The Mediterranean Monk Seal on a 2004 stamp from Maltapost

References:

Lanfranco, G. G., 1969. Maltese Mammals (Central Mediterranean). Progress Press: Malta.

MarineBio, undated. Monachus monachus, Mediterranean Monk Seal. [www document, url=http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=343, last accessed 17.V.2011]

From the depths

On the occasion of the World Wildlife Fund's 50th anniversary, the folks at Maltapost have issued a four-stamp set featuring the remarkable Chimaera monstrosa L., 1758.

Chimaera monstrosa L., 1758 on a Maltapost 2011 issue

Known in Maltese as Fenek il-Baħar (lit. sea rabbit), this is a cartilaginous fish, closely related to sharks, commonest at depths of between 500 and 800 metres in the Mediterranean and the East Atlantic. Populations are threatened by the fishing industry and may soon be categorized as 'vulnerable' under IUCN criteria.

Stamp-sized elephants

The Siculo-Maltese endemic Pleistocene elephant Elephas (Palaeoloxodon) falconeri Busk, 1867 is featured on the new set of definitive stamps from Maltapost Plc. Perhaps purely coincidentally, the miniature size of the animal is reflected in the stamp's denomination.

For philatelists, more information on this set can be found here. Skeletal remains of the animal can be seen at the Għar Dalam Museum.