PHOTO SPECIAL TO THE CITIZEN The U.S. Postal Service's Sharks Forever stamps.

The U.S. Postal Service will celebrate the wonder of sharks by issuing the Sharks Forever stamps.

The new stamps feature five species of sharks that inhabit American waters – the mako, thresher, great white, hammerhead and whale sharks.

Customers may pre-order the stamps in early July at: usps.com/shop for delivery shortly after the July 26 nationwide issuance.

Misunderstood creatures

Possibly no other creatures are as mythologized – or as misunderstood – as sharks.

Blockbuster thrillers and sensationalized media have fueled the belief that sharks are monsters: unthinking, bloodthirsty, vengeful and primitive.

While they are ancient creatures, having emerged long before the first dinosaurs, after 400 million years the 500 or so known shark species have adapted to their ecological role.

Sharks’ adaptations include light, flexible skeletons of cartilage, teeth replaced without limit and skin covered by a hydrodynamic surface of tiny tooth-like structures.

Their keen senses include one that detects electrical signals given off by prey and enables navigation by Earth’s magnetic field.

Their nervous systems are also adapted to sense miniscule water movements, such as the struggles of a far-off fish.

You may view many of this year’s other stamps on Facebook at facebook.com/USPSStamps or via Twitter @USPSstamps.

Phil Wiebold is a spokesman for U.S. Postal Service.