Royal Mail celebrates the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth and the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, with ten specially designed stamps.
Issued today, the ten stamps celebrate Darwin and the areas of his study which inspired his ideas on evolution - zoology, botany, geology, ornithology and anthropology.
The six unique 'jigsaw' shape stamps symbolise how his studies of different disciplines came together to form new ideas on evolution. In addition Royal Mail has produced a special sheet comprising of four stamps illustrating the unique wildlife of the Galapagos Islands that includes the Flightless Cormorant, Giant Tortoise, Floreana Mockingbird and Marine Iguana.
The unique sheet of four stamps builds up into a contemporary map of the Galapagos Islands with key species that Darwin studied in the 1830s.
Julietta Edgar, Head of Special Stamps, Royal Mail said: "Charles Darwin's ideas triggered a revolution in the understanding of how species evolve. The brilliance of his thinking is symbolised in the unique design of the stamps - the jigsaw shape suggest how Darwin was able to draw on his different areas of study to formulate groundbreaking new ideas.
"The distinctive jigsaw design of the stamps is a great way to link Darwin's vast areas of research, while the special sheet is a beautiful representation of the Galapagos Islands."
Andrew Marr, President of the Galapagos Conservation Trust said: "I believe Darwin is one of the most influential figures - and important scientists - the world has seen. It is a tremendous accolade to have a set of special stamps to honour his work and fitting that these should feature the Galapagos Islands that so inspired his thinking."
