Continuing the Canadian Wildlife series launched in 1997, Canada Post issued two new high-value definitives - a one-dollar Loon stamp and a two-dollar Polar Bear stamp in 1998

The Loon
Featured on Canada's dollar coin, the loon is a large diving bird that lives in either fresh or salt water. Loons feed mainly on fish which they catch by swimming underwater - sometimes down to depths of 70 metres. By compressing their plumage to release air and by forcing air from their lungs, loons are able to ride low in the water with only their bills and eyes above the surface. Positioned far back on their bodies, loons' legs are strong water propellers, but they make walking on land awkward. Though they are strong flyers, loons cannot take off from land and must make running starts across the water surface to build speed. Most loons come ashore only for nesting. The common loon is the second largest species of loon in Canada and is characterized by its large size and a sharply pointed bill unlike that of ducks, geese or swans.

The Polar Bear
Half of the world's 40,000 polar bears live in Canada - in the coastal regions of both the Northwest Territories and the Yukon, and in Manitoba, Ontario and arctic Quebec. As their Latin name ursus maritimus suggests, polar bears are maritime creatures. They spend most of their days out on sea ice, hunting seals.Though they are believed to have evolved from grizzlies, polar bears have unique rounded shoulders and pronounced brow ridges. Their necks, skulls and noses are elongated and their muzzles are aquiline. Large paws help polar bears distribute their weight while walking on thin ice. Their front legs act as water propellers while their hind limbs function as rudders.

One of the most distinctive features of the polar bear is its colour. The white fur helps it blend into the arctic background and has special features for cold weather adaptation; it is transluscent and transmits ultraviolet radiation to keep the skin warm. Equally distinctive is the polar bear's size. The largest carnivore in the world that lives mostly out of water, it can weigh up to 800 kg - double the size of a grizzly!

The Stamps
Designed by Steven Slipp of Halifax, the Loon and Polar definitives are wonderful wildlife issues that combine both modern and traditional printing techniques - intaglio for the animal portraits and offset lithography for the background colours. The halftone dot of the litho portion is made from a small icon image of each animal, providing one of several hidden security features.