Postal Service to issue Dolphin stamp

June 12 show will also feature special cancellations

DAYTON, OH — As part of the National Topical Stamp Show, the Dayton Stamp Club will sponsor the first-day-of-sale for the U.S. Postal Service’s new Dolphin stamp at 2:30 p.m. Friday, June 12, in the Miami Room at the Crowne Plaza Dayton, 33 E. Fifth St.

To obtain high-resolution images of the stamp for media use only, e-mail roy.a.betts@usps.gov.

Two special cancellations — a pictorial and a first-day-of-sale — will be available the day of the show.

The stamp features the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), a marine mammal noted for its high intelligence and playful behavior. The bottlenose dolphin belongs to the family Delphinidae, which includes more than 30 species of dolphins that swim in oceans and bays around the world.

Found mainly in temperate and tropical waters, bottlenose dolphins are social animals that live in groups ranging in size from two to several hundred. They can often be seen from shore and by boaters, and appear to engage in play with other dolphins. Their mostly gray bodies are large and stout, with short, broad snouts. The corners of their mouths curve up, giving the appearance of a permanent smile. In offshore waters, bottlenose dolphins can weigh more than a thousand pounds — usually much larger than those found near the coast.

Bottlenose dolphins eat a variety of fish, as well as squid and crustaceans. They use echolocation to find potential prey. The dolphins emit sounds from the nasal region, and the echoes that bounce back provide clues to the size, density and location of objects nearby. Dolphins also make certain sounds to communicate with each other.

Mating generally occurs throughout the year, though seasonal breeding is observed in some locations. A female gives birth to a calf after a gestation period of about 12 months, and the two immediately form a close bond, staying together for up to six years.

This 2009 stamp, with an illustration by Nancy Stahl, features a bottlenose dolphin leaping from the water. Stahl has created illustrations for several stamps, including the dragonfly (2008) and Florida panther (2007), designed in a similar style. She used several photographs of bottlenose dolphins as reference for the art.

How to Order the First Day of How to obtain the Special Cancellation Postmark

Customers have 30 days to obtain the special pictorial postmark by mail. They may purchase the new stamps at their local Post Office, or at the Postal Store website at www.usps.com/shop or by calling 800-STAMP-24. They should affix the stamps to envelopes of their choice, address the envelopes to themselves or others, and place them in a larger envelope addressed to:

Postmaster
Dayton Post Office
1111 E. Fifth St.
Dayton, OH 45401

After applying the special postmark, the Postal Service will return the envelopes through the mail. There is no charge for the postmark. All orders must be postmarked by July 12.

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Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/welcome.htm.

An independent federal agency, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 149 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes, six days a week. It has 34,000 retail locations and relies on the sale of postage, products and services, not tax dollars, to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of $75 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail.