Hi Mairiuna 🙂 I have “giant” news for you today and I’m all excited to tell you about it!
You mentioned in your recent article Following the Blue Road on the Steps of Kenneth White in Quebec: Episode 5 , that it was difficult to identify the whale species that came breathing at the surface of the water while we were whale watching, near Tadoussac, on the magnificient St Lawrence River.
A Blue Whale on the St Lawrence River ? © Oct 2010 Scotiana
“Difficult to say what kind of whales we’ve seen here, given the fact that we can see so little of the beast. There were many “common rorquals” for sure and maybe a blue whale. There seemed to be two distinct species swimming there.” Source: Scotiana.com
You’re right, and thank God! that Jean-Michel, the zodiac’s pilot, knew how to recognize the majority of the ones we saw. He’s an expert in the matter, and without his knowledge, we would never had known to which species the whales belonged to.
It’s also amazing to see how the people we met, the shore-by population and men at sea, love and care for the whales. They keep observing them on regular basis and nicknamed each and everyone. 🙂
Since “we can see so little of the beast”, while whale watching, this fascinating adventure being one we will remember for ever, I thought it would be a great way to impress our mind about the biggest creature on Earth by showcasing here the beautiful Canadian postage stamp depicting the Blue Whale.
The Blue Whale - Canada's Biggest Stamp & Highest Denomination
“…This is both the biggest stamp and highest stamp denomination Canada Post ever produced”. notes Leduc. We thought this made a fitting tribute to the largest creature in the animal kingdom”.
Canada Map - Maritime Territory
Canada is home to two populations of the blue whale. The Atlantic population roams the waters off eastern Canada, along the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence in eastern Nova Scotia, the south coast of Newfoundland, and in the Davis Strait between Baffin Island and Greenland. Pacific populations are located off Canada’s west coast.”
Source: Details. Volume XIX No4
Mr Leduc, from Canada Post, goes on to reveal a scoop!….read on…
Security Features on the $10 Canadian Stamp To Prevent Fraud
” Due to the stamp’s high value, we wanted to introduce as many security features as possible in order to prevent fraud, says Leduc. Though determined to keep some of these features secret, he notes that a few were created using intaglio and invisible “tagging” inks.
For example, microtype was used to write the Latin name for blue whale – a feature that is impossible to reproduce by any other means than intaglio.” (…) Additionaly, a large cluster of krill (the whale’s food of choice), along with a diver, were introduced using tagging inks. “Looking at these stamps with a black light introduces a whole new dimension to the design.”
Wow.. krills and a diver invisible to the naked eye on the stamp !? I want to see that!
I’m off to find where I stored my blacklight, as it’s been a while since I used it. It is like an ultra violet lamp, and makes thing undetected visible, as we can see in the ukrainian stamp pictured below.
Ukrainian Stamp Seen Under Ultra Violet Light | Source:myweb.wvnet.edu
- Long Wavelength Ultraviolet Lights
Will let you know how my treasure hunt went. 😉
Bye for now,
Janice
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