US 6009
2025 Seal

• Part of Baby Wild Animals set featuring 10 animals
• Each stamp includes elements of animal’s habitat
  
  

Stamp Category:  Definitive
Set: Baby Wild Animals
Value:  73¢, First-Class Mail (Forever)
First Day of Issue:  May 23, 2025
First Day City:  Aurora, Colorado
Quantity Issued:  16,000,000
Printed by:  Banknote Corporation of America
Printing Method:  Offset
Format:  Double-sided Booklet of 20
Perforations: Die Cut

Why the stamp was issued:  This stamp is part of a set of 10 stamps highlighting baby animals with elements of their natural surroundings.

About the stamp design:  Each design features a different baby wild animal.  Tracy Walker created digital illustrations using solid background colors and simple depictions of each animal.  Elements of their environment were added, such as flowers, leaves, or water.  The animals shown are: fox, owl, deer, seal, rabbit, raccoon, bear, skunk, bobcat, and chipmunk. 

First Day City: The stamps were dedicated at the Rocky Mountain Stamp Show in Aurora, Colorado

About the Wild Baby Animals set: Every spring, a new generation of wild animals begins its journey.  Learning to survive in a world of challenges, they are discovering the skills and instincts that will shape their lives.
In the warm daylight, a fawn cautiously steps from its hidden mother, its spotted coat camouflaging it against the dappled forest floor.  Nearby, baby foxes playfully tussle, learning the art of stalking prey.  Baby rabbits nibble on fresh green shoots while a chipmunk scampers up a tree, its cheek pouches filled with seeds.  At the water’s edge, a young seal explores the shore, its small flippers glistening in the light, ready to test the cool waters of the river for the first time.
As dusk falls, the nocturnal young of the wild are learning to navigate the shadows.  In the moonlit forest, young owls stretch their wings, preparing for their first flights.  Their large eyes scan the night, adjusting to the dim light.  Nearby, baby raccoons, their tiny paws moving with remarkable dexterity, search for food, using their sensitive whiskers and sharp senses to uncover insects and fruits.  In the tall grass, a young skunk, still learning how to use its signature spray defense, cautiously explores its surroundings.  A baby bobcat, its spotted coat blending with the shadows, watches its mother, its keen eyes tracking the movement of small prey.
These young creatures are preparing for a life filled with obstacles, but brimming with the promise of discovery, growth, and survival.

History the stamp represents: On the rocky shores, a newborn seal pup takes its first breath, the salty air filling its tiny lungs.  Born on the sand, the pup is covered in a soft, pale fur that provides warmth during the cold early days of life.  This thick coat will shed in a matter of weeks, replaced by sleek, waterproof fur that will be essential for life in the water.
The pup, eyes wide and full of curiosity, remains close to its mother.  She has already begun teaching it the ways of the sea.  Seals, unlike many marine mammals, are born with their eyes open and fully capable of swimming almost immediately.  But they still rely on their mother’s milk, rich in fat, to build strength.  In the first few weeks, the pup will grow rapidly, increasing its weight by nearly 30 percent.  This rapid growth is essential, as it prepares the young seal for its transition to the water.
While the mother forages for food, diving up to 300 meters to catch fish and squid, the pup stays behind, learning essential skills.  It watches as the mother demonstrates the graceful agility of a seal, diving effortlessly beneath the waves and using her whiskers to sense vibrations in the water, detecting prey even in the darkest depths.  By the time the pup is weaned, it will be ready to begin its own journey in the vast ocean – an extraordinary world full of endless possibilities.