The description of this issue is divided in two sections. This is part 1 of 2.

The Libyan issue was released on November 20th, 1995. It is made of 16 stamps, 100 dirhams each, printed in minisheet, size mm.197x270 + one souvenir-sheet including one stamp of 500 dirhams, size mm.185x120.

   Minisheet        Souvenir-sheet

below: Ma = million years ago   /   ka = thousand years ago   /   data source Wikipedia

GEOLOGIC PERIODS: 299-251 Ma (Permian P) / 251-199 Ma (Triassic T) / 199-145 Ma (Jurassic J) / 145-65 Ma (Cretaceous K) / 65-23 Ma (Paleogene Pg) / 23-2,5 Ma (Neogene N) / 2,5 Ma - today (Quaternary Q)

Staurikosaurus (Middle Late Triassic 225 Ma) + Lystrosaurus (Early Triassic 250 Ma)

        Earth 237 Ma

STAURIKOSAURUS - There exists very incomplete fossil record of Staurikosaurus, consisting most of the spine, the legs and the large lower jaw. One fossil comes from the region of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil. The name refers to the star constellation "The Southern Cross" (pictured in the coat of arms of Brazil and only visible in the southern hemisphere); when Staurikosaurus was described in 1970, it was unusual to find dinosaurs in the southern hemisphere. The rarity of Staurikosaurus remains may be a result of it being uncommon while alive, or because it lived in an environment like a forest, where fossils rarely form. Staurikosaurus was a small theropod from the late Triassic period, 225 million years ago. It is one of the earliest dinosaurs that is known. At just 2 meters in length, 80 centimeters tall, and weighing just 30 kilograms, Staurikosaurus was tiny in comparision to later theropods like Megalosaurus.

LYSTROSAURUS - The name means"shovel lizard". Lystrosaurus was a genus of the dicynodont therapsids in the Late Permian and Early Triassic period. He lived around 250 million years ago in what is now Antarctica, India and South Africa. At present 4 to 6 species are recognized, although from the 1930s to 1970s the number of species was thought to be much higher. Lystrosaurus was a pig-sized animal, typically about 1 meter long and weighing about 90 kilograms.

Cynognathus (Middle Triassic 230 Ma) + Plateosaurus (Late Triassic 216-199 Ma)

        Earth 195 Ma

CYNOGNATHUS - The name means "dog jaw". Cynognathus was a predator of the Middle Triassic. It was one of the more mammal-like of the "mammal-like-reptiles", a member of a grouping called Eucynodontia. The genus Cynognathus (Class Synapsida, Order Therapsida, Family Cynognathidae) had an almost worldwide distribution. Fossils have so far been recovered from South-Africa, South-America, China and Antarctica (see map above). It was 1-2 meters long and less than 1 meter tall.

PLATEOSAURUS - The name means "flat lizard". Discovered in 1834 and described three years later (von Meyer), Plateosaurus was one of the first dinosaurs formally named, although not one of the three genera originally used to define Dinosauria, because at the time it was poorly known and impossible to identify as a dinosaur. Plateosaurus were bulky bipedal herbivores which had small skulls on long necks, sharp plant-crushing teeth, powerful limbs, and large thumb claw on each "hand" probably used for defense and feeding. It was 6-8 meters long with an estimated weight of 700 kilograms.

Baryonyx (Early Cretaceous 125 Ma) + Oviraptor (Late Cretaceous 80-65 Ma)

        Earth 94 Ma

BARYONYX - The name means "heavy claw", referring to its large claw. Baryonyx is a genus of carnivorous dinosaur discovered in clay pits just south of Dorking, England and later reported from fossils found in northern Spain and Portugal. Its fossils have been dated to the Early Cretaceous period around 125 million years ago. Baryonyx is one of the few "piscivourous" (fish-eating) dinosaurs, with specialized adaptions like a long low snout with narrow jaws filled with finely serrated teeth (similar to the present crocodiles) and gaffe hook-like claws to help it hunt its main prey. Baryonyx was about 8,5 meters long and weighed around 1700 kilograms. However, analysis of the bones suggests that the most complete specimen was not yet fully grown, so Baryonyx may have grown even larger.

OVIRAPTOR - Oviraptor is a genus of small theropod dinosaur, first discovered by legendary paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews, and first described by Henry Fairfield Osborn in 1924. Its name is Latin for "egg seizer", referring to the fact that the first fossil specimen was discovered atop a pile of what were thought to be Protoceratops eggs. Further discovers showed that eggs in question probably belonged to Oviraptor itself, and that the specimen was actually brooding its eggs. Oviraptor lived in the Late Cretaceous period, 80-65 million years ago. It comes almost exclusively from the Djadokhta Formation of Mongolia, as well as the northeast region of the Neimongol Autonomous Region of China. Oviraptor is traditionally depicted with a distinctive crest, similar to that of the present cassowary. However re-examination of several oviraptorids show that this well-known tall-crested species may actually belong to the genus Citipati, a relative of Oviraptor. It is likely that Oviraptor did have a crest, but its exact size and shape are unknown. It is likely that Oviraptor had feathers as well as other related species. Oviraptor had a size of 2 meters and weight of 30 kilograms.

Stenonychosaurus (Late Cretaceous 75-65 Ma) + Tenontosaurus (Cretaceous 125-105 Ma)

        Earth 66 Ma

STENONYCHOSAURUS - Also named Troodon. Troodon is a genus of relatively small, bird-like dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous period, 75-65 million years ago. Discovered in 1855, it was among the first dinosaurs found in North America. Its name is Greek for "wounding tooth", referring to the dinosaur's teeth, which bore prominent serrations. These "wounding" serrations, however, have similarities to those of herbivorous reptiles, and suggest an amnivorous diet. Troodon was around 2 meters long, 1 meter tall and weighed 60 kilograms.

TENONTOSAURUS - Tenontosaurus is a genus of medium- to large-sized ornithopod dinosaur. It is considered to be a very primitive Iguanodont. The genus is known from the Early to Middle Creataceous sediments of western North America, dating around 125 to 105 million years ago. It was about 6-8 meters long and 2 meters high, with a mass of somewhere between 1000-2000 kilograms. Its tail was longer than other members of the family, and it walked on four feet most of the time.

See other related Guides: part 2

PHILATELICUM