The Blainvilles Beaked Whale Stamp

Anyone who is fond of marine wildlife, in particular, whales, will surely enjoy these lovely stamps. These stamps were issued from beautiful Nassau, Bahamas in January 2007. The Blainville Beaked Whale stamps were issued in 15 cent, 25 cent, 50 cent and 60 cent denominations.

It is estimated that about one-fourth of the world’s whale species are beaked whales. They prefer to live in tropical and warm water temperatures in the northeastern Bahamas region, but can be found in other warm waters in other oceans. This type of whale does not migrate. They live in waters as deep as 3000 feet from the oceans surface. There are currently no population estimates available on this whale.

The male whales have interesting features. It possesses a huge pair of teeth that grow from large bulges in its lower jaw. These teeth become encrusted with barnacles which look like large balls of some kind. These glorious animals can stay submerged for up to 45 minutes. There is no commercial interest in these whales, so they are relatively safe to roam the oceans. They feed on squid, deep sea fish, starfish and sea urchins.

Sadly, there have been many incidents with these whales beaching themselves. It is widely believed that it is attributed to acoustic trauma resulting from nearby Naval exercises, that are the cause of the beaching.

If you would like to purchase a set of these beautiful stamps, visit http://www.stampcenter.com/.