On February 27, four postage stamps dedicated to lizards were put into postal circulation in the Fauna of Russia series

Lizards are a large and diverse group of reptiles comprising more than 7,700 species. They are found on every continent except Antarctica and inhabit a wide variety of environments, from deserts to tropical forests.

The Crimean thin-toed gecko (Mediodactylus danilewskii) is a species of small lizards from the Gekkonidae family. It inhabits Crimea and the southwestern Black Sea region. The body length without a tail of geckos in Crimea can reach 5 cm in males and 5.5 cm in females. It inhabits rocks and forests on the southern slopes of mountains. The coloration of the upper side of the gecko's body blends in with the color of the bark, camouflaging it quite well. In addition, geckos inhabit the ruins of ancient buildings (in particular, in Chersonesos), modern household and residential stone and wooden buildings, and can be found on stone fences and walls of buildings and even indoors.

The Lindholm's lizard (Darevskia lindholmi) is a species of the family Lacertidae. It is named after Russian naturalist V. Lindholm. Its total length runs up to 20 cm, with the tail accounting for a significant part of this. Males are brownish or olive-gray in color, while females are green. The head is noticeably compressed. It prefers mountainous steppe terrain, foothills, and mountain forests, and can also be found on the seacoast. It often hides in crevices, among rocks, and in rodent burrows. It adapts well to both high and low temperatures. It feeds on dipterans, orthopterans, ants, butterflies, beetles, and spiders. It is endemic to Crimea occurring only in mountainous areas and on the southern coast of the peninsula.

The toad-headed agama (Phrynocephalus mystaceus) occurs in Russia in sandy massifs of the Dagestan foothills, in Kalmykia, eastern Chechnya, and in the south of the Astrakhan Region. It is a medium-sized lizard with the body length reaching 11.2 cm, and weight of 42.5 g. There are skin folds in the corners of the mouth — the so-called “ears”, which gave this reptile its species name. The upper part of the body is sandy-colored with a grayish tinge and a complex pattern. The tail is slightly flattened and ends with a black tip.

The steppe agama (Trapelus sanguinolentus) is a lizard from the Agamidae family. In Russia, it is widespread in the deserts and semi-deserts of the Eastern Fore-Caucasus. Their body length runs up to 8.5 cm, and their weight is up to 27 g. Adult males are noticeably longer than females. It inhabits sandy, clayey, and rocky deserts and semi-deserts, preferring areas with shrubby or semi-woody vegetation. It is also found on smooth rocky slopes in the foothills, along riverbanks and in riparian forests, often in close proximity to water, near settlements and along roadsides.

The block of four provides images of the following lizards: Crimean thin-toed gecko, Lindholm's lizard, toad-headed agama and steppe agama.

In addition to the issue of the postage stamps, JSC Marka produced First Day Covers and special cancels for Moscow, St. Petersburg, Astrakhan, Vladivostok, Volgograd, Orel, Penza, Samara and Sevastopol, as well as maxi-cards and an illustrated cover with postage stamps of the second emission type with the use of stencil varnish "with the sand effect" and a four-plot label.


Design Artist: V. Beltyukov.
Face value: 25 rubles.
Stamp size: 37×37 mm, sheet size: 94×99 mm.
Emission form: a sheet with formatted margins with 4 (2×2) stamps (a block of four).
Quantity: 45 thousand each stamp (45 thousand each sheet) (the 1-st emission type); 3.150 thousand each stamp (3.150 thousand each sheet) (the 2-nd emission type*).
* To be on sale as part of an illustrated cover.

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