3338) "The Hawaiian Bobtail Squid", Republic of Austria (Osterreich Republik): Eighth Coin in the Luminous Marine Life Coin Series: A 3 Euro Copper Alloy Coin features this underwater marine invertebrate: Date/Year of Coin issue: 11.09.2024:
Links to "Luminous Marine Life" Coin Series:
- To celebrate the "United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development", this Coin Series embarks on an undersea adventure that shows just how fascinating and colourful the underwater world can be.
With a mintage of 65,000, of the twelve innovative 3 Euro Coloured Coins in the Series, four will be issued each year over 3 years.
As improbable and magical as the sea creatures featured on the coins may seem, they really do exist.
Even though some of them live in the perpetual darkness of the deep seas, where no ray of sunlight penetrates, they all have extraordinary luminous qualities. They flash, sparkle and glow and change colour when necessary.
The same applies to the coins themselves, which glow when exposed to ultraviolet light in a way that is both exciting and piques our sense of scientific curiosity.
A dedicated ultraviolet torch will help the viewer to experience the charming creatures of Luminous Marine Life in full.
The Eighth Coin in the Series: The "The Hawaiian Bobtail Squid":
Between five and ten centimetres in length, the Hawaiian Bobtail Squid is a tiny hunter that stalks its prey at night in shallow coastal waters.
Although it has a unique luminescent organ, unlike other squid species, the squid cannot change colour at will, so it spends the day buried in the sand, only coming out at night to hunt for food. But when ultraviolet light is shone on the eighth coin in the Luminous Marine Life series, its colour changes from light brown and black to red or blue.
Located in the cephalopod’s mantle, the luminescent organ of the Hawaiian bobtail squid is powered by bioluminescent bacteria, with which the squid has an extraordinary partnership of convenience.
The bacteria produce light and in return the squid provides them with shelter and food in the form of a sugar-amino acid solution. When the bacteria begin to glow, the silhouette of the squid disappears in the light coming from above, and when viewed from below, it can no longer be distinguished from the glittering surface of the water, for example, when lit by moonlight.
Cephalopods, especially octopuses, are intelligent animals and their many abilities fascinate visitors to acquariums where it has been show that they can solve tasks such as opening cans, completing puzzles correctly and even operating a camera.
All 12 of the magical sea creatures in the Luminous Marine Life series are shown in silhouette on the coin’s obverse. Air bubbles up between them and a tail fin disappears beneath the waves to the right.
The peripheral inscriptions are -"ZWERGTENFISCH 2024".
The value side presents, in the style of a paper cut-out, all the sea creatures that appear in the 12-piece coin set "Shining Sea Worlds". Air Bubbles can be seen between them, and to the right of them is a tall fin diving into waves.
The whole thing is framed by a historic-looking porthole decorated with a starfish and a shell.
If the coin is illuminated by a UV flashlight, the fish begins to fluoresce green and a little blue.
The wide band, reminiscent of an old-fashioned porthole frames an aquatic scene that features a Hawaiian Bobtail Squid" in the centre.
Together with the other "Glowing Sea Worlds" coins it aims to vividly demonstrate the beauty and vitality of the underwater world.
To ensure that the marine habitat remains as diverse as it is on the colourful coins, we have to protect it - from ourselves.
On the Obverse of the 3 Euro Base Metal Coin, all 12 of the magical sea creatures in the "Luminous Marine Life Coin Series" are shown in silhouette.
Air bubbles up between them and a tail fin disappears beneath the waves to the right.
The peripheral inscriptions are - "REPUBLIK OSTERREICH. 3 EURO".
The specifications of the Coin are:
Country: Oesterreich Republik ("Republic of Austria"); Date/Year of Coin issue: 2024; Coin Denomination: 3 Euro; Coin Series Theme: "Luminous Marine Life"; Coin Theme: "The Hawaiin Bobtail Squid"; Metal Composition: (Copper Alloy) Coloured Metal; Coin Quality: Uncirculated (U); Diameter/Size: 34.00 mm; Total Weight: 16.00 grams; Coin Designer: Kathrin Kuntner, Rebecca Wilding; Mintage: 65,000 pieces; Edge: Plain; Accessories: UV Torch for special colour effect; Packaging: Comes without packaging.
Co-developed with marine researchers, this Collector album not only stores all 12 coins in the Luminous Marine Life series but is also crammed with fascinating information about the 12 sea creatures that feature on them.
The album explains in detail how they live in and illuminate their aquatic environment and how vital that environment is for our planet as a whole, the threats it faces from humans and shows what can be done about it. It does so in a style that is understandable for youngsters yet entertaining for adults, making it a source of fun for coin collectors of all ages. You will learn, for example, about the ingenious deep-sea angler fish, which uses its very own illuminated fishing rod to lure its unsuspecting prey when hunting.
The album concludes with a quiz where you can have fun testing your newly acquired knowledge of marine biology.
It is only available in German language.
In addition to a dedicated Collector album, Luminous Marine Life also comes with its own special tool for enhancing the visual experience of the 12 coins in the series:
Through UV light, the torch maximises the experience by making the sea creatures on the coins really shine and glow. By shining the torchlight on the coins, the sea creature can be seen to change colour.
One can also use the torch to discover whether 2 of the 12 marine animals on the coins are nothing but dark or are harbouring a bright secret. And the fun does not stop with the coins themselves – illustrations and information are also hidden here and there throughout the album. By examining the pages with the torch, with a bit of luck one may discover them.
UV light is an abbreviation for ultraviolet light, which is also as known ‘black light (UV-A)’. Important instructions on how to use the lamp safely can be found on the back of the torch packaging.
Links to "Luminous Marine Life" Coin Series:
More posts on insect world on this blog:
i) Beetles: A set of five Post Cards issued by Chennai Postal Circle of India Post in 2017
ii) Lady Bug Beetles: A set of four Commemorative stamps brought out by India Post on 23.02.2017
Posts on "Wonderful World of Insects":
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