Aldabra giant Tortoise FDC from India

FDC Name:Aldabra giant Tortoise.

Issue date:2nd AUG 2008

Details:India Post released a set of 2 stamps in the denominations of Rs 5 and Rs 15 on August 2, 2008 on Aldabra Giant Tortoise.

• These stamps mark another first for Indian stamps being hexagonal (having six sides). The stamps are produced in the sheetlets of 13 stamps.
• There are four sheetlets in all, first with thirteen Rs 5 stamps, second with thirteen Rs 15 stamps, third with five Rs 5 and eight Rs 15 stamps, and the fourth with five Rs 15 and eight Rs 5 stamps.
• The Aldabra Giant Tortoise (Geochelone gigantea), from the islands of the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles, is one of the largest tortoises in the world. Its carapace averages 120 cm in length and is a dark blue or black color with a high domed shape. It has stocky, heavily scaled legs to support its heavy body. The neck of the Aldabra Giant Tortoise is very long, even for its great size, which helps it to exploit tree branches up to a meter from the ground as a food source.
• The average weight of a male is around 250 kg. Females are generally smaller than males, with average specimens measuring 90 cm in length and weighing 150 kg. Large tortoises are among the longest-lived animals on the planet. Some individual Aldabra Giant Tortoises are thought to be over 100 years of age, but this is difficult to verify because they tend to outlive their human observers.
• Adwaitya (The One and Only) was reputedly one of four brought by British seamen from the Seychelles Islands as gifts to Robert Clive of the British East India Company in the 18th century and came to Kolkata Zoo in 1875. At its death in March 2006, Adwaitya is reputed to have reached the longest ever measured life-span of 255 years, although the accuracy of this is disputed due to a lack of contemporary records.
• Suresh Kumar designed the Stamp and the First Day Cover. Alka Sharma designed the pictorial first day postmark. Brochure containing write-up and technical data was issued on the occasion. The First Day Cover and the Brochure are priced at Rs 2 each.
• India Security Press, Nasik printed the stamps by photogravure in the quantities of 3 million eachFirst HEXAGONAL stamp of INDIA on Aldabra Gaint tortoise in Denomination: 500p, 1500p.India post has issued these stamps in the Sheet lets.Total 4 type of sheet let was issued.

Remark:Good stamp due to its size,