South Africa

Thanks to Denise for this surprise card of one of the Big 5 from South Africa.

Sent: 11 July 2014   Received: 5 August 2014  Travelled: 

Cheetahs from South Africa

The word "cheetah" is derived from Hindi , in turn from Sanskrit citrakāyaḥ, meaning "variegated".

The cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) is a big cat in the subfamily Felinae that inhabits most of Africa and parts of Iran. It is the only extant member of the genus Acinonyx. The cheetah can run as fast as 109.4 to 120.7 km/h (68.0 to 75.0 mph), faster than any other land animal.It covers distances up to 500 m (1,640 ft) in short bursts, and can accelerate from 0 to 96 km/h (0 to 60 mph) in three seconds.

The cheetah is a unique felid, with its closest living relatives being the puma and jaguarundi of the Americas. This cat is notable for modifications in the species' paws, being one of the few felids with only semi-retractable claws.

Its main hunting strategy is to trip swift prey such as various antelope species and hares with its dewclaw. Almost every facet of the cheetah's anatomy has evolved to maximise its success in the chase, the result of an evolutionary arms race with its prey. Due to this specialisation, however, the cheetah is poorly equipped to defend itself against other large predators, with speed being its main means of defence.

In the wild, the cheetah is a prolific breeder, with up to nine cubs in a litter. The majority of cubs do not survive to adulthood, mainly as a result of depredation from other predators. The rate of cub mortality varies from area to area, from 50% to 75%, and in extreme cases such as the Serengeti ecosystem, up to 90%. Cheetahs are notoriously poor breeders in captivity, though several organizations, such as the De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Centre, have succeeded in breeding high numbers of cubs.

Source:Wikipedia

Big thanks to Arnold for this amazing wildlife card of Cheetahs

and the fantastic matching stamps. So delighted to receive this :D
This card is especially cool because the pair of cats here twisted like a
sleek "S" and there's a heart in the middle :)

Sent: 12 Oct    Received: 27 October 2015   Travelled: 15 days

White Rhinoceros

 The white rhinoceros or square-lipped rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) is the largest extant species of rhinoceros. It has a wide mouth used for grazing and is the most social of all rhino species. The white rhinoceros consists of two subspecies: the southern white rhinoceros, with an estimated 20,405 wild-living animals in 2013, and the much rarer northern white rhinoceros. The northern subspecies has very few remaining, with only four confirmed individuals left (three females and one male), all in captivity
A popular theory of the origins of the name "white rhinoceros" is a mistranslation from Dutch to English. The English word "white" is said to have been derived by mistranslation of the Dutch word "wijd", which means "wide" in English. The word "wide" refers to the width of the rhinoceros' mouth. So early English-speaking settlers in South Africa misinterpreted the "wijd" for "white" and the rhino with the wide mouth ended up being called the white rhino and the other one, with the narrow pointed mouth, was called the black rhinoceros.

Rhinos as well as elephants and bears hold a special place in my heart as these animals were all part of the wildlife landscape of North Borneo but sadly the Sumatra Rhino is now extinct in the wild of North Borneo, and can only be found in Sumatra. Thank you Niki for for this beautiful

rhino postcard.

Sent: 18 August 2015   Received: 8 September 2015   Travelled: 21 days

map of South Africa

Oops a duplicate card to arrive to my mailbox luckily that doesn't happen often.

Still a rather enjoyable card to have, I love map cards like this which has a lot of

the country's iconic symbols now I have two to display :)

Sent: 9 May 2015   Received: 23 June 2015   Travelled: 44 days

South Africa #3

My 3rd card from South Africa.

Thank you Muller for the special 11.12.2013 posting unfortunately the post office only sent out on the 13.12.2013. This was the week South Africa was in mourning for Nelson Mandela, rest in peace to one of the greatest man that ever lived in our times.

Sent: 13 December 2013,   Received: 6 January 2014,   Travelled: 24 days

South Africa #2

1. Namaqualand
2. Cape Town's waterfront with Table mountain in the background
3. Free state farming area, mainly cattle and maize
4.Drakensberge or Dragon mountains
5. The crown of Africa's big 5, Lions!

Vriendelike groete vanuit 'n warm Kaapstad!

(Kind regards from warm Cape Town)

Thank you Muller & Hanre for the amazing descriptions and warm greetings!

Sent: 13 November 2013,  Received: 27 Nvember 2013,   Travelled: 14 days

South Africa

Yay my first card from South Africa, a beautiful map!

Many thanks to Linn for this card

Sent: 4th February 2013   Received: 14 February 2013   Travelled: 10 days