PALEO-PHILATELY: ART AND EDUCATION IN PALEONTOLOGY

Fossils have commonly appeared on postage stamps issued by countries around the world. These stamps are intrinsically interesting, and they show actual and reconstructed fossils, art in various styles, and provide educational opportunities for general audiences. England issued the first stamp in 1840, but fossils did not appear on stamps until 1951 in India, which issued a stamp illustrating two Stegodon ganesa (extinct elephants) to celebrate the Geological Survey of India’s 100th anniversary. The usual artistic styles of fossil stamps are hand-produced color illustrations of one or more specimens representing either fossils from the country of issue or simply fascinating or artistic specimens on stamps issued by countries that may not even have fossils. Some artists accompanied geologists to fossil sites to make first hand sketches and drawings, which contain little error (anatomical, paleontological, etc) while others drew from museum specimens or illustrations. After 1951, fossil stamps became increasingly complex with illustrations of more than one specimen or even of entire ancient habitats printed on sheets of multiple stamp images. Stamps show fossils of every type and age, from Precambrian bacterial stromatolites to Pleistocene Homo sapiens. The most common subjects are vertebrates, particularly dinosaurs, birds and mammals, but even microfossils like pollen, foraminifera, radiolaria, and conodonts appear on stamps. Among invertebrates, mollusks, especially ammonites and bivalves, and trilobites (arthropods) have been among the most artistically appealing stamp topics. Fossil stamps have been used in general and mass education. Stamp collecting and the attractiveness of the fossil stamps promote educational aims by drawing attention to paleontology and its contributions to understanding not only of the organisms depicted but also of past environments, paleoecology, evolution, and climates. Fossil stamps are an effective media to educate the public about our planet and its conservation.