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2022 Australian Native Animals Mint Unhinged Pair of 2 x $1.20 Booklet Stamps Overview Australia is home to a rich and diverse range of native animals, including around two-thirds of the more than 330 marsupial species that occur worldwide. This stamp issue features three marsupial species and one monotreme (egg-laying mammal), all of which are endemic to Australia and listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List Stamps in this Issue $1.20 Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) The Platypus is a semi-aquatic mammal that is found in freshwater environments within the eastern states of Australia, including Tasmania, as well as on Kangaroo Island. Its thick brown fur serves as insulation, and its distinctive, skin-covered duck-like bill helps it to detect the electrical fields of its prey. The male Platypus is the only venomous mammal in the world; it possesses a venomous spur on the inside of its hind leg. Threats to this iconic monotreme include habitat pollution and degradation as well as predation by feral animals. As well as being listed as near threatened on the IUCN Red List, the Platypus is listed as endangered in South Australia and Victoria and there are fears that recent droughts, fires and floods in Queensland and New South Wales have negatively impacted local populations. $1.20 Eastern Quoll (Dasyurus viverrinus) The Eastern Quoll is a medium-sized carnivorous marsupial that was once common throughout south-eastern parts of the country, but which suffered from predation by feral cats and the introduced Red Fox. Today, this endangered species occurs naturally in the wild only in Tasmania, though conservation efforts operate on the southern mainland. It prefers dry grasslands and forests where pasture grubs are plentiful. A nocturnal and solitary animal, and an impressive hunter, the Eastern Quoll sleeps during the day in its nest in an underground burrow under the rocks, or under fallen logs, and then at night scavenges for carrion on the forest floor. An adult male is about the size of a small domestic cat, averaging 60 centimetres in length; a female is slightly smaller. The Eastern Quoll is distinguished from the larger Spotted-tailed Quoll by the absence of spots on its tail and the presence of only four toes on each hindfoot. Please check out my other Ebay items Postage Discount Available If purchasing more than one item please request an invoice or wait for one to be issued combining postage Orders over $40 will require registered mail Payment required within 5 days unless otherwise arranged |