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54
no 54
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AUSTRALIAN
australian

Oceans are places of mystery and adventure - the
last undiscovered places of our planet. Did you
know that scientists know more about outer space
than about the oceans? Astronauts have been to the
moon, but no-one has ever gone to the bottom of
the ocean.
Although we know so little about the oceans, they
make up nearly three-quarters of Earth. When you
think about it, ‘Planet Ocean’ might be a better
name for our planet!
Planet Ocean is the special theme for Stamp
Collecting Month this year. Check out the
mini-sheet and read the descriptions of these
Planet Ocean ‘aliens’ to learn more!
The Weedy Seadragon is covered in armour-like plates
which protect it from predators. The ‘weedy’ fins
that it uses to move about the ocean also help
it to hide among the seaweed.
The Southern Right
Whale is a ‘gentle
giant’ of the ocean.
With a call louder than a passing jet
plane, it can communicate with other
whales across an entire ocean.
45c
The Manta Ray is one of the largest fish in the world. Despite
its huge size it is an extremely graceful swimmer, capable of
spectacular leaps above the surface.
WEEDY SEADRAGON
1998
1998
45c
MANTA RAY
1998
45c
SOUTHERN RIGHT WHALE
WHITE POINTER SHARK
45c
1998
1998
BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN
45c
FIERY SQUID
1998
45c
Fiery Squids move by jet propulsion and constantly
change colour like a light show. The
underside of the Fiery Squid glows with small
light organs which match the light from the sky
above, making it invisible to predators below.
The White Pointer Shark has five
or more rows of teeth in each jaw.
These teeth are constantly falling
out and being replaced by more.
Even its skin is packed with teeth!
The Bottlenose Dolphin
seems to be the
happiest creature
in the ocean; its
curved mouth
is held in a
permanent
grin. Like
whales (and
humans),
dolphins
are mammals - they breathe
air, are warm blooded, and
feed their young on milk.

Extended hard coral polyps
8
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Large Blubber Je ly
OPPOSITE: Pink Anemone
1 98
and capturing them.
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AUSTRALIA
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AUSTRALIA
SOUTHERN RIGHT WHALE
WHITE POINTER SHARK
1998
1998
AUSTRALIA
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SOUTHERN RIGHT WHALE
The Planet Ocean
stamps are the first
Australian stamps
to be designed
using computer
modelling. These
illustrations show
how designer
Wayne Rankin
created the
White
Pointer
computer
model.
Wayne starts
with a basic frame,
just like a 3-D wire
frame, except that
it only exists on a
computer screen.
He builds up a
realistic
model
with skin and
teeth. Wayne
places the model
in a realistic
background.
Type is then
added to the
stamp design.
AUSTRALIA
WHITE POINTER SHARK
45c
1998
FIND OUT MORE!
Listen to Take 40 Australia on
Austereo radio and check out the
Australian Women’s Weekly for chances
to win a trip for you and three friends
to Seaworld in Queensland. Watch
out for more about Planet Ocean and
Stamp Collecting Month on your
favourite TV shows including
What’s Up Doc, Couch Potato,
Totally Wild, Cheez TV
and Saturday Disney!
You can read more about computer
modelling and the Planet Ocean
stamps in Challenge magazine. There’s
also a chance to win 10 Planet Ocean
prize packs. Challenge is jam-packed
with interesting activities and articles
for kids aged 10 to 13! For info on
how to subscribe, write to:
Challenge magazine,
Addison Wesley Longman,
95 Coventry Street,
SOUTH MELBOURNE VIC 3205.
WEEDY SEADRAGON
A U S T R A LIA A U S T RALIA
45c
45c
MANTA RAY 1 98
45c
CNIDARIANS
MANTA RAY
SOUTHERN RIGHT WHALE
45c
WEEDY SEADRAGON
A U S TRA LIA
A U S TRA LIA
A U STRAL IA
45c
A U S TRA LIA
45c
W HITE POINTER SHARK
BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN
45c
45c
A U S TRA L IA
BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN
A U S T R A LIA
MASTERS OF
STINGING
SOUTHERN RIGHT WHAL E
WEEDY SEADRAGON
A U STR A LIA
45c
ANDPARALYSIS
45c
A U S TRA LIA
FIERY SQUID 1 98
45c
WHITE POINT ER SHARK
FIERY SQUID
45c
45c
45c
A UST RAL IA
MANTA RAY
A U STR A LIA
45c
First day cover
$2.95
The cnidarians (also known as the coelenterates)
seem fairly inactive to the casual observer, are
sometime sma l, and for these reasons often
ignored by rock pool prowlers and divers. They
are another extremely successful body plan and
have populated the oceans of our world. Cnidarians
are found in tropical, temperate and cold seas in
huge numbers. They are the hydroids, sea ferns,
sea whips, gorgonians, horny corals, red corals,
soft corals, hard corals, black corals, sea pens,
anemones, jellyfish, stingers - and many more.
Cnidarians are simply constructed: a ho low
cylindrical body with a mouth at one end su rounded
by tentacles. The tentacles are genera ly armed
with stinging capsules (ca led cnidoblasts, nematoblasts
or nematocysts) in which a tightly coiled,
spira ly barbed thread ends in a sharp point covered
with toxin or, in some cases, a blob of adhesive.
Woe betide any sma l creature that provokes the
firing of these capsules, either by physical or
chemical contact. The victim’s body wi l immediately
be penetrated by many of these ‘harpoons’, which
then contract and draw the victim towards the
mouth. As this happens the now-paralysed prey
makes contact with more waiting tentacles and
so becomes thoroughly impaled, envenomed
and eventua ly ingested and digested.
The chemical weapons of cnidarians, so
deadly, immobilise their victims immediately.
If they did not, actively struggling prey could
break the fine nematocys threads and
escape. Arthropods, with their armoured
external skeleton, are protected from the toxins,
bu they are not safe. Cnidarians have developed
a coiled spring style nematocyst for lassoing
In addition to the use of barbed threads,
toxins and lassoes to capture food, some cnidarians
also contain sma l algae (zooxanthe lae) inside
their clear bodies. These enclosed plants use the
carbon dioxide and nitrogenous wastes produced
during the respiration of the animal ce ls, together
REG LIPSON
AUSTRALIA
Stamp pack
$5.80
AUSTRALIA
45c
BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN
45c
FIERY SQUID
45c
The Living
Ocean
$12.95
From tiny microscopic creatures to
enormous whales, this wonderful book
covers everything you ever wanted to
know about ocean creatures. Includes
the Planet Ocean mini-sheet.
AUSTRALIA
BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN
45c
AUSTRALIA
WEEDY SEADRAGON
AUSTRALIA
W HITE POIN TER SH ARK
AUSTRALIA
Maximum cards $5.50
(set of 6)
45c
45c
45c
M A N T A RA Y 1 98
45c
AUSTRALIA
All Planet Ocean products are available from 1 October 1998
Giant poster/
sticker book $9.95
It looks like a book, but inside there’s a
giant two-metre poster with more than 40
stickers and facts about all your favourite
marine animals!
FIERY SQUID 1 98
45c
AUSTRALIA
A U S T R A L IA

Issue date: 2 November
40c
Australia
$1
Australia
45c
Australia
Human Rights
This stamp celebrates
human rights. These
include every person’s
right to health and education, freedom from
slavery, choice of religion, and the freedom
to think and say the things they believe in.
The rose growing from the barbed wire
symbolises the strength of the human spirit.
Issue date: 22 October 1998
1998
1998
1998
Christmas
1998
This year’s Christmas
stamps show Mary
and Joseph travelling
to Bethlehem, the
nativity scene, and
the three kings who
visited baby Jesus.
These colourful
stamps are by the
famous Australian
painter Ken Done.
His brightly
coloured paintings,
particularly his
beach scenes and
views of Sydney
Harbour, are famous
throughout the
world.
I wonder how you get to become a Planet
Ocean explorer? A dog called Laika was one
of the first travellers in outer space. They even
put him on a stamp. Maybe we’re related and
I could follow the family tradition and be the
first explorer to the bottom of the ocean! I’d
have a wonderful time chasing catfish!
Even if I never get to be a great explorer,
I enjoyed all of your Planet Ocean drawings.
Here are some of my favourites.
Love from
Sniffer
J. Wessener, 5 - KANDANGA QLD
Brand new
starter kit
$14 . 95
The Stamp Collecting Starter Kit
has everything you need to get
started: a stamp album with stickers,
used stamps, tweezers, a magnifier,
and a stamp facts booklet.
DO YOUR FRIENDS
A FAVOUR!
Tell your friends how to join the Stamp
Gang! All they need to do is send their
name, address and date of birth to:
STAMP EXPLORER
PO BOX 4000
FERNTREE GULLY VIC 3156
Sniffer’s
A.Boyle, 12 - BERRY SPRINGS NT
WIN! WIN! WIN!
LEGO Australia are giving
Stamp Gang members the
chance to win some great prizes:
First prize - the entire LEGO
SYSTEM Aquazone range, valued
at $245.40, Aquazone Sea Scooters,
valued at $18.95 each, will be the
prizes for 50 runners up.
Aquazone is a world in the ocean
depths. Aquanauts and Aquasharks
travel in fantastic submarine
vehicles, sharing their world
with octopuses, sharks and
other marine animals.
For your chance to win, draw
us a stamp featuring the LEGO
Aquanauts. Send your entry to:
Stamp Explorer LEGO Competition
PO BOX 1777Q
MELBOURNE VIC 3001
by 13 November. Don’t forget to
include your name, age and
membership number!
M.Koeller, 12 - KIAMA NSW
M. Newby, 10 - LARA VIC
Other winners in the Planet Ocean stamp competition:
L. Van Eedan, 12 - Panton Hill VIC K. Koh, 11 Doncaster East VIC
K. Anderson, 12 - Windella Downs NSW K. Huynh, 12 Cabramatta West NSW
A. Wong, 12 Peppermint Grove WA M. Amiri, 10 Frankston Nth VIC

WORD
HUNT
Solve this crossword
to discover an animal
from Planet Ocean
L I
D
T H
H I
A T
U I D
C K
N K
E
OUR NEXT ISSUE
Watch the next issue for some
great Year of the Rabbit stamps.
There’ll also be something for
romantics and adventurers!