This site contains over 1600 images of stamps,
maxi cards and covers, but has been made as "bandwidth friendly" as possible by
loading clickable thumbnails rather than very large images.
** Most thumbnails open
a small popup window to display the stamp. If you have disabled popups and/or Javascript and
don't wish to allow either, clicking on the country name in the stamp list will show all of that
country's sea turtle stamps.
We list only stamps and souvenir sheets, and don't
include sea turtle labels, tabs, watermarks, or cancellations. Cartoon turtles are included if
they have flippers, are swimming in the ocean, or legend/culture defines them as sea turtles.
"Cinderella" stamps are defined as "... resembling a postage
stamp, but not issued for postal purposes by a governmental postal administration ..." We include
cinderella stamps that bear the name of an actual country or region, and a denomination in a legitimate
currency. Cinderellas are clearly identified as such when possible.
Postage stamps offer an excellent and novel means
of promoting the conservation of sea turtles, as well as stimulating an interest in their
biology. The popularity of issuing stamps depicting sea turtles has increased considerably
during recent years; when this list was first published in the Proceedings of the Tenth Annual
Workshop on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation in 1990, there were known to be 285 stamps
from 77 countries. The list currently features nearly 1600 stamps from 194 countries and territories.
The green turtle, Chelonia
mydas, is the most popular species, and is featured on 489 stamps, followed by
the hawksbill turtle, Eretmochelys imbricata, on 326; the
loggerhead turtle, Caretta caretta, on 173; the leatherback
turtle, Dermochelys coriacea, on 158; the olive ridley
turtle, Lepidochelys olivacea, on 74; the flatback turtle,
Natator depressus, on 23; prehistoric sea turtles
Archelon or Protostega on 23; and the Kemp's ridley turtle,
Lepidochelys kempii, on 19. The remaining stamps feature
stylized turtles, either not identifiable to a particular species, or shown as a drawing or cartoon.
The majority of the stamps feature the sea turtle as
the subject, with others featuring the turtle as part of the stamp's background
or border design. Many of these stamps are quite beautiful, with some of the more recent additions
reflecting an increased awareness and interest in the sea turtle's behavior, depicting nest digging,
egg deposition and hatchling activity. On the other hand, 15 stamps show turtles being chased,
restrained, entangled or stepped on, and 3 of these even show dead turtles killed or being butchered
by fishermen, or entangled and drowned in a fishing net.
The British Indian Ocean Territory, the Cayman Islands,
and the Solomon Islands have one or more sea turtles in their Coat of Arms;
50 stamps show the turtle in this manner, sometimes barely visible to the unaided eye. Sea turtles
on coins or currency are featured on 10 stamps, 12 sea turtle
stamps are in "stamps-on-stamps", and 128 sea turtle stamps
also show maps or globes, other topics popular with collectors.
With only modest expense and effort, it is
possible for the amateur philatelist and sea turtle enthusiast to assemble a substantial
collection of attractive and interesting stamps. (Click to see the most expensive set!) We hope those of you who have already started
collecting will enjoy browsing the information and images included here.