Fascinating Reptiles Featured on New Surinam Issue

They sit there staring with their little beady eyes, still as a rock, blending into the scenery as they warm themselves in the sun. You almost forget they're there until suddenly they snap or jerk or fork out an amazingly long tongue to catch some hapless insect that wandered into range. Reptiles are fascinating creatures.

While reptiles can be found on every continent except Antarctica, they are most prolific in the warmer climates of the tropics and subtropics. Referred to as cold-blooded or ectothermic, reptiles generate little body heat. To regulate their internal temperature, they must alternately gather and lose heat from the environment.

Since they don't need food to create body warmth, reptiles can survive on less food than comparably-sized mammals. Thick-skinned, with few exceptions, reptiles are covered by scales. Most are egg-laying and provide substantial initial care of their hatchlings.

Surinam has just issued this amazing 12-stamp collection of reptiles. Highly detailed full-color photographs practically leap off the page. Among the featured reptiles are toothy crocodiles, hooded iguanas, a variety of sea and land turtles and a number of lizards. Click the post title to order from County Stamp Center for the low price of only $10.29.

Visit the County Stamp Center website for all your philatelic needs. County Stamp Center puts the stamp world at your fingertips.