Karoo Fossils

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This cover is postmarked on 1 December 1982 in Graaff-Reinet, a town that sits close to the heart of the Karoo basin the stamps commemorate. The four stamps span roughly 100 million years of fossil history, from the earliest and largest animal shown to the smallest and most advanced. Bradysaurus is the oldest of the four, a slow lumbering reptile that fed on soft water plants around 250 million years ago. Lystrosaurus lived not long after and its fossils have been found on continents as far apart as Antarctica and India, evidence used to help establish that the southern continents were once joined together as Gondwanaland. Note: this cover carries only the four definitive stamps. The card's Emydops and Heterodontosaurus entries refer to a separate commemorative envelope and miniature sheet cover, not to this cover itself.

Description of the Cachet

The cachet shows a fossil skull in profile, rendered in a warm sepia line drawing that runs almost the full height of the cover. The skull has a heavy, blunt snout and small tusk-like teeth, drawn with a stippled texture that gives it real weight and age. Above it the title reads "Karoo fossils" and below "Karoo-fossiele" in matching serif type. The four stamps sit apart in the top right corner, each set against its own prehistoric landscape of cycads and ferns. A circular postmark cancels the stamps, the town name curving around the top and "Karoo Fossils" and "Karoo-fossiele" repeated around the bottom.

Information Card

KAROO FOSSILS The rocks of the Karoo Sequence cover approximately half of the surface of the Republic of South Africa. These rocks contain one of the most complete records of the evolution of land animals during the Permian and Triassic Periods about 250 to 150 million years ago. These fossils occur in great abundance and have drawn the attention of scientists from all over the world. 8c stamp — Bradysaurus This large, sluggish stem reptile lived approximately 250 million years ago. It grew to about 5 m in length and must have been very clumsy because of its large body and short, thick legs and feet. Its almost hand-shaped teeth had small cusps on the edges and the specimens found are sharp and unworn. It is therefore thought that the animal fed on soft, floating water plants. 15c stamp — Lystrosaurus Lystrosaurus lived about 220 million years ago in Africa, India, Antarctica, Russia and China, which indicates that the southern continents were once part of a super continent named Gondwanaland. The animal's eyes and nostrils were placed high up in the head so that it could protrude only the top of its head above the water like a hippopotamus. It was probably herbivorous. 20c stamp — Euparkeria This small, bipedal reptile was a slender, agile and active animal that was undoubtedly carnivorous. It lived about 200 million years ago. It is generally accepted that Euparkeria was ancestral to the dinosaurs that were to become the dominant terrestrial animals of later geological periods until this position was taken over by the mammals. 25c stamp — Thrinaxodon Thrinaxodon was a small mongoose-like reptile that lived about 220 million years ago. Many scientists think that it could be ancestral to the mammals. Some palaeontologists think that the animal could have been warm-blooded and could have had hair like a mammal. It was carnivorous. Commemorative envelope — Emydops Emydops was a rabbit-sized reptile with a long body and short, stumpy legs. It was herbivorous, with large tusks and small back teeth. The tips of the jaws were covered in horn as is the case in tortoises. It lived about 250 million years ago. Commemorative cover with miniature sheet — Heterodontosaurus This small, primitive dinosaurus lived about 150 million years ago. It grew to a length of about 1,5 m and was herbivorous. Unlike other dinosaurs it had canine-like teeth near the front of its jaws. The back teeth were adapted to a vegetarian diet. KAROO-FOSSIELE Die rotse van die Karoo-opeenvolging bedek ongeveer die helfte van die oppervlakte van die Republiek van Suid-Afrika. Hierdie rotse bevat een van die volledigste rekords van die evolusie van landdiere gedurende die Perm- en Trias-periode ongeveer 250 tot 150 miljoen jaar gelede. Dié fossiele kom in groot getalle voor en het die aandag van wetenskaplikes van oor die hele wêreld getrek. 8c-seël — Bradysaurus Hierdie groot, logge stamreptiel het ongeveer 250 miljoen jaar gelede geleef. Hy het omtrent 5 m lank geword en met sy groot liggaam en kort dik bene en voete moes hy baie lomp gewees het. Sy feitlik handvormige tande het klein puntjies om die rande gehad en die voorbeelde wat gevind is, is almal skerp en ongeslyt. Om dié rede word daar vermoed dat die dier op sagte, drywende waterplante gevreet het. 15c-seël — Lystrosaurus Lystrosaurus het ongeveer 220 miljoen jaar gelede in Afrika, Indië, Antarktika, Rusland en Sjina geleef, wat daarop dui dat dié suidelike vastelande eens deel van 'n superkontinent genaamd Gondwanaland was. Die dier se neusgate was so hoog geplaas dat hy, soos die seekoei, slegs die boonste deel van sy kop bo die water kon uitsteek. Hy was waarskynlik plantetend. 20c-seël — Euparkeria Dié klein, tweebenige reptiel was 'n skraal, rats en aktiewe dier wat ongetwyfeld vleisetend was. Hy het ongeveer 200 miljoen jaar gelede geleef. Daar word algemeen aanvaar dat Euparkeria 'n voorouer was van die dinosaurusse wat die dominante landdiere van latere geologiese periodes geword het totdat die soogdiere hierdie posisie oorgeneem het. 25c-seël — Thrinaxodon Thrinaxodon was 'n klein meerkatagtige reptiel wat omtrent 220 miljoen jaar gelede geleef het. Baie wetenskaplikes meen dat dié dier die voorouer van die soogdiere kan wees. Sommige paleontoloë meen dat hy warmbloedig was en hare gehad het soos 'n soogdier. Hy was vleisetend. Gedenkkoevert — Emydops Emydops was so groot soos 'n konyn, met 'n lang lyf, kort dik beentjies. Hy was plantetend, met groot slagtande en kleiner agtertande. Die punte van die kake was met horing bedek soos dié van skilpaaie. Hy het omtrent 250 miljoen jaar gelede geleef. Gedenkkoevert met miniatuurvel — Heterodontosaurus Dié klein primitiewe dinosaurus het ongeveer 150 miljoen jaar gelede geleef. Hy het omtrent 1,5 m lank geword en was plantetend. Anders as ander dinosaurusse het hy slagtandagtige tande naby die voorkant van die kake gehad. Die agtertande was aangepas by 'n plantdieet.

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