Preservation of Nature -Slovakia

On 23th of October 2009, Post of Slovakia issued stamp series of protected animal which found in Slovakia. There species are the Fire Salamander (Salamandra salamandra) and the European Pond Turtle (Emys orbicularis). Both stamps have same face value.

The Fire Salamander is a biggest salamander, measuring up to 20 centimetres in Slovakia and 30 centimetres in Europe. It has a wide head and robust cylindrical body ended by a tail. Its smooth skin has a number of pores through which it can discharge secretions from its poison glands, an action which is suggested by its alerting colour. It has a black body covered with a number of yellow-orange spots of varying size. Fire Salamander active at night and prefer deciduous, in particular, oak and beech forests on foothills or mountains. During the day salamanders like to hide in fallen leafs, under tree trunks or stones, in burrows of other mammals, and various clefts. Fire Salamanders occur throughout Europe, except Scandinavia, the British Isles, and the Mediterranean islands. They can also be found in Turkey and North Africa. The eastern border of their occurrence is delineated by the Carpathian range.The Fire Salamander is a protected species throughout Europe, including Slovakia.

The European Pond Turtle has a slightly curved shell. The upper part of the shell (the carapace) is up to 30 centimetres long, and is brown-black with many small whitish or yellow spots. The lower shell (the plastron) is yellow-white to light-brown and has variably dark (usually black) markings. The turtle’s skin on its limbs, tail, neck and the greater part of head is covered by scutes. It has five digits on the front feet, and four digits fused into paddles for swimming with sharp claws on its back feet. European Pond Turtles usually occur in still water or muddy and overgrown streams in lower altitudes.The turtles can remain submerged for long periods due to their strong breathing apparatus which consists of anal gland and oral cavity mucosa that can absorb oxygen from the water. European Pond Turtles are mostly carnivorous, usually feeding on insects, fish, crustaceans, earthworms, and amphibians, sometimes also dead animals, and their diet also includes vegetation.European Pond Turtles are found in Southern and Central Europe, Western Asia, and North Western Africa. In Slovakia they only occur within a few isolated areas of the Eastern and Western lowlands. In Slovakia, it is a critically endangered animal which is subject to the highest degree of protection.