Philatelic EFO ("errors, freaks and oddities")? WWF maxicards from Nicaragua, intended to show Baird’s Tapir (Tapirus bairdii). But 1 of the 4 postcards used, and (maybe) 2 of the 4 stamps SEEM to depict, instead, The South American Tapir (Tapirus terrestris)! What do you think? Can YOU differentiate between these 2 tapir species (not that it makes any difference in your life)?

"Baird’s Tapir (Tapirus bairdii) is a species of tapir that is native to Central America and northern South America.^[2] It is one of three Latin American species of tapir.

Contents  [hide] 1 Names 2 Description 3 Lifecycle 4 Behavior 5 Predation and vulnerability 6 References 7 External links

[edit]Names [MY NOTE: burro, cow, horse, big animal...]

Baird’s Tapir is named for the American naturalist Spencer Fullerton Baird^[3] who traveled to Mexico in 1843 and observed the animals. However, the species was first documented by another American naturalist, W. T. White.^[4] Tapir is the largest land mammal in Central America^[5].

Like the other Latin American tapirs (the Mountain Tapir and the South American Tapir), Baird’s Tapir is commonly called danta by people in all areas. In the regions around Oaxaca and Veracruz, it is referred to as the anteburro. Panamanians, and Colombians call it macho de monte, and inBelize, where Baird’s Tapir is the national animal, it is known as the mountain cow.

In Mexico, it is called tzemen in Tzeltal; in Lacandon, it is called cash-i-tzimin, meaning “jungle horse;” and in Tojolab'al it is called niguanchan, meaning “big animal.” [MY NOTE: "big animal"?...Kinda vague...Then again, "this ain't no Africa"]

"An adult Baird’s Tapir, being such a massive mammal, has very few natural predators. 

Only large adult American crocodiles (4 metres / 13 feet or more) and adult Jaguars are capable of preying on tapirs, although even in these cases the outcome is unpredictable and, more often than not, in the tapir's favor (as is evident on multiple tapirs documented in Corcovado National Park with large claw marks covering their hide.)"

"Baird’s Tapir has a distinctive cream-colored marking on its face and throat and a dark spot on each cheek, behind and below the eye. 

[MY NOTE: Look at the lower-left and lower-right images of postcards from maxicards. Do YOU see the DARK SPOT, even below the water line?

Now, look at the stamps. 

Mister/Madam stamp designer, you MISSED A SPOT!  :)  ]

The rest of its hair is dark brown or grayish-brown. 

The animal is the largest of the three American species and, in fact, the largest land mammal found in the wild from Mexico to South America. 

Baird’s Tapirs average up to 2 metres (6.6 ft) in length and 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) in height, and adults weigh 150–400 kilograms (330–880 lb).^[6][7] 

Like the other species of tapir, they have small stubby tails and long, flexible proboscises. 

They have four toes on each front foot and three toes on each back foot."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baird%27s_Tapir

===============

Now, the other tapir apparently depicted in this set from Nicaragua.

"The South American Tapir (Tapirus terrestris), or Brazilian Tapir (from the Tupi tapi'ira) orLowland Tapir or (in Portuguese) Anta, is one of four species in the tapir family, along with the Mountain Tapir, the Malayan Tapir, and Baird's Tapir.^[2] 

It is the second largest land mammal in South America, after Baird's Tapir."

"It is dark brown in color, paler in the face, and has a low, erect crest running from the crown down the back of the neck."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_American_Tapir

[MY NOTE: the crest stays like that for more than 4 hours; in fact, it stays like that forever...and ever...]

Now, look at the flip side.

Of the set of maxicards, that is.

Notice that the reverse of the upper-left maxicard front-side (see above), with the stamp value of 5 Nicaraguan córdoba, has the inscription South American Tapir (Tapirus terrestris) on the back (the upper-right in the image below, of the back-sides.)

So, if the South American Tapir (Tapirus terrestris) does NOT live in Nicaragua/Central America, then that postcard is wrongly chosen, and 2 stamps (with seemingly crested tapir) are wrongly designed.

What do you think?

=======

DID YOU KNOW that they also speak SUMO in Nicaragua?

Republic of Nicaragua República de Nicaragua
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: En Dios Confiamos   (Spanish) "In God We Trust"[1]
Anthem: Salve a ti, Nicaragua  (Spanish) Hail to thee, Nicaragua
Capital (and largest city)		Managua 12°9′N 86°16′W
Official language(s)		Spanish
Recognised regional languages		Creole, Miskito, Sumo and Rama
Ethnic groups		69% Mestizo 17% White (majority being of Western European ancestry) 5% Amerindian 9% Black[2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicaragua

=========

Happy Father's Day! (me, too!)

Happy Sunday Stamps meme!

Please visit: http://viridianpostcard.blogspot.com/

In Japanese folklore, tapirs can eat people's dreams. Who's eating YOUR dreams? Or, who's LIVING in YOUR dreams? Anyway...I show you The Malayan Tapir (Tapirus indicus), also called the Asian Tapir. WWF Maximum cards / maxicards / dorincards from Vietnam

"The Malayan Tapir (Tapirus indicus), also called the Asian Tapir, is the largest of the four species of tapir and the only one native to Asia.^[2] The scientific name refers to theEast Indies, the species' natural habitat. In the Malay language, the tapir is commonly referred to as "cipan", "tenuk" or "badak tampong"".

Why not camouflaged by stripes, like a tiger?

What's up with this giant panda style of black and white?

"The animal is easily identified by its markings, most notably the light-colored “patch” which extends from its shoulders to its rear. 

The rest of its hair is black, except for the tips of its ears which, as with other tapirs, are rimmed with white. 

This pattern is for camouflage: the disrupted coloration makes it more difficult to recognize it as a tapir, and other animals may mistake it for a large rock rather than a form of prey when it is lying down to sleep."

"The females are usually larger than the males. 

Like the other types of tapir, they have small stubby tails and long, flexible proboscises. 

They have four toes on each front foot and three toes on each back foot. 

The Malayan Tapir has rather poor eyesight but excellent hearing and sense of smell."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malayan_Tapir

Men! 

When women ask you a serious question, DON'T give them 

the flehmen response!

"The proboscis of the tapir is a highly flexible structure, able to move in all directions, allowing the animals to grab foliage that would otherwise be out of reach. 

Tapirs often exhibit the flehmen response, a posture in which they raise their snouts and show their teeth, in order to detect scents. 

This response is frequently exhibited by bulls sniffing for signs of other males or females in oestrus in the area."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapir

Women!

When you wear your favorite perfume (natural or not),

and you are near a TIGER, let's say,

what organ of the tiger you think you are addressing?

.

.

.

No, guess again.

.

.

.

It's the Jacobson's organ.

"The flehmen response (English pronunciation: /ˈfleɪmən/, German: [ˈflɛːmən]), also called the flehmen position, flehmen reaction, flehming, or flehmening (from German flehmen, meaning to curl the upper lip), is a particular type of curling of the upper lip in ungulates, felids, and many other mammals, which facilitates the transfer of pheromones and other scents into the vomeronasal organ, also called the Jacobson's organ."

" Therefore while the presence of a structure in adult human beings is debated, a review of the scientific literature by Tristram Wyatt concluded, "most in the field... are sceptical about the likelihood of a functional VNO in adult human beings on current evidence.""

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vomeronasal_organ

Tapir, under the pink/orange sky of Vietnam (see the above stamps again).

====================

Happy Pink Saturday! (still open on Sunday!)

^{Please visit "Pretty in pink"/ "Show us your pink" [objects, that is :)] meme here:}

^{http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/}

Monkey business, but no grease monkeys: The red-shanked douc (Pygathrix nemaeus), and The black crested gibbon (Nomascus concolor) - WWF maxicards from Vietnam. Also, a new idea for marital counseling therapy. Weining!!!

Upper-left and Upper-right:

"The red-shanked douc (Pygathrix nemaeus) is a species of Old World monkey, among the most colourful of all primates. 

This attractive monkey is sometimes called the "costumed ape" for its extravagant appearance [MY NOTE: no, we're not talking about celebrity X]. 

From its knees to its ankles it sports maroon-red "stockings", and it appears to wear white forearm length gloves. Its attire is finished with black hands and feet. 

The golden face is framed by a white ruff, which is considerably fluffier in males. 

The eyelids are a soft powder blue.[MY NOTE: Cosmeticians Anonymous] 

The tail is white with a triangle of white hair at the base, males of all ages have a white spot on both sides of the corners of the rump patch, females don't have these. 

Males have red and white genitals.[MY NOTE: no cloak of invisibility is needed; on the contrary...]

The word ‘douc’ (pronounced ‘dook’) is an ancient name of  Vietnamese origin.^{[citation needed]} 

The douc is an arboreal and diurnal monkey that eats and sleeps in the trees of the forest."

"This monkey communicates using facial expressions. 

It has a specific play face with the mouth open, teeth partially bared and chin thrust forward. 

Sometimes, it closes its eyes and paws blindly towards one another with remarkable disregard for the hazards of doing this when up a tree. [MY NOTE: Douc of Hazard]

Its fixed stare is a threat display. [MY NOTE: A stare: way to hell]

A grimace with the mouth open and the teeth exposed is a submissive gesture given in response to a stare." "[MY NOTE: people, don't just sit with your mouth open...]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-shanked_douc

Lower-left and Lower-right:

"The black crested gibbon (Nomascus concolor) is an endangered species of gibbon found in India, the Malay archipelago and Indochina. There are 4 subspecies."

"Black-crested gibbons live in small family groups consisting of a monogamous male and female and their offspring, there are also reports that groups may contain additional mature females [My NOTE: no, they don't keep in touch with The Male by his explicit tweets. In fact, the black crested W said "Stop staring at my tweets!"]

These apes are predominantly arboreal and the group forages and sleeps amongst the trees. 

[Weining!!!]

[MY NOTE: here's an idea for W's marital counseling therapy:]

Led by the female, the breeding pair partakes in vigorous bouts of singing in the morning, which hauntingly echo through the forest. 

It is believed that these ‘duets' are essential in pair bond formation and reinforcement, but also serve to advertise the presence of the group within the territory."


The Red-shanked Redemption, 
after a horrible "Orange Revolution"...
"The main predator of the red-shanked douc is humans. It is threatened throughout its limited range by habitat destruction and hunting. Native people hunt it for food and body parts, which are used in traditional medicine. There is also a very lucrative and illegal wildlife trade for the red-shanked douc. 
During the Vietnam War, the douc habitat was heavily bombed and sprayed with defoliants like Agent Orange. 
Soldiers also used them for target practice, it is said."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hylobates_concolor

=================

Happy PFF (Postcard Friendship Friday)!

Please visit: http://thebestheartsarecrunchy.blogspot.com/ (wait until Beth posts the today's Linky tool for the meme, then make your entry, if you want to join).