2023 First-Class Forever Stamp,Life Magnified: Freshwater Snail Tongue

US #5802o
2023 Freshwater Snail Tongue – Life Magnified

• Pictures a microscopic view of a freshwater snail tongue
• Part of the Life Magnified set of 20 stamps

Stamp Category:  Commemorative
Set:  Life Magnified
Value:  66¢ First Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue:  August 10, 2023
First Day City:  Cleveland, Ohio
Quantity Issued:  32,000,000
Printed by:  Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method:  Offset, Flexographic
Format:  Panes of 20
Tagging:  Phosphor Tagged Paper, Block Tagging

Why the stamp was issued:  To show an up-close view of a freshwater snail tongue we would never be able to see with the naked eye.

About the stamp design:  Pictures a photograph taken with special techniques using a microscope.  Design also includes the name of the specimen.

First Day City:  First Day of Issue Ceremony was held in Cleveland, Ohio, at The Great American Stamp Show.

About the Life Magnified Set:  These 20 stamps were issued to showcase life undetectable by the human eye alone.  All 20 stamps picture photographs taken using special techniques and the aid of a microscope.  The set celebrates the beauty and complexity of microscopic organisms and parts of organisms, the study of which have had various impacts on humans.

History the stamp represents:  Freshwater snails are found in ponds, streams, lakes, and rivers around the world.  Some have gills that allow them to breathe underwater, while others have lungs that require them to spend more time at the surface.

Despite differences in the way they take in oxygen, there are some aspects of freshwater snails that stay the same between species.  They all have shells that grow as they do, slowly being built up by calcium carbonate taken from the water around them.  Also, all freshwater snails are made up of a head, visceral mass, mantle, and foot.  The head includes a pair of tentacles, the visceral mass contains the snail’s internal organs and is protected by its shell, the mantle is the outer layer of skin, and the foot allows the snail to move.

One other thing stays the same among freshwater snail species: the radula.  This is a specialized structure inside the snail’s mouth, similar to a tongue.  It is covered in microscopic teeth, which it uses to drag along surfaces and collect algae and other debris for consumption.  For the most part, snails are herbivores, but some species occasionally consume animal matter, if they come across it.

Thanks to their consumption of algae, some freshwater snails have become popular in aquariums.  That’s one way to ensure these snails never go extinct!