The theme for this year’s Europa stamps is Endangered Wildlife.
Sweden started the European series on the 14th of January with a colorful stamp showing a cute European green toad (Buffo viridis). In Sweden, this toad has gone from vulnerable to critically endangered status and there are now only a few remaining in the Skåne och Blekinge regions. Eutrophication and drainage are two of several reasons for its decline. In order to save the species in Sweden, European green toads are bred to be re-naturalized, but it is also necessary to restore and preserve the habitat in which the toads live. This also holds true for the rest of Europe. In Austria the main distribution area is in the lowlands of eastern Austria, extending from southeastern Styria to the Klagenfurt Basin and in the north to the Danube valley in Upper Austria. Individual occurrences are also found in Tyrol. Only very few occurrences are above 400 m above sea level.
Due to its spotted coloration, the green 8-10 cm long toad is probably one of the most beautiful native amphibians. The basic color of the males is a light grey, while the females are almost white. Both sexes have a green, island-like spot pattern over the entire body, which is only missing on the belly. As is usual with toads, the skin is covered with numerous warts. In spring, both sexes gather at the spawning waters, where the males try to find a mate with their pleasant, trilling mating call. The adult’s diet consists exclusively of animal food such as small insects or spiders.
- Country: Sweden
- Series: Precious Nature (2021)
- Issued on: 2021-01-14
- Printing: Offset lithography
- Gum: Self-Adhesive
- Face value: 24 kr – Swedish krona
- Description: Issued in coils of 100