Native Animals (International)

Overview

This International issue is a sequel to the domestic-rate Native Animals stamp issue, released on 19 December 2022. It features three threatened marsupial species. Numbers of all the animals featured have declined since European settlement due to a range of factors that include hunting by humans, environmental degradation, competition for food from introduced herbivores, predation by foxes and feral cats, and disease.

Technical specifications

Issue date: 26 June 2023
Issue withdrawal date: tba
Denomination: $3.10 x 1, $3.90 x 1, $4.30 x 1
Stamp design: Jason Watts, Australia Post Design Studio
Product design: Jason Watts, Australia Post Design Studio
Paper: gummed: Tullis Russell 104gsm Red Phosphor/Blue PVA Stamp Paper
Paper: self-adhesive: Arconvert Securepost / MC 90/Cprint 100/ P10P
Printer: RA Printing
Printing process: Offset lithography
Stamp size (mm): 37.5 x 26
Perforations: 13.86 x 14.6
Sheet layout: Module of 50
FDI Postmark: Canberra ACT 2601
FDI withdrawal date: 25 July 2023

Stamps in this issue

$3.10 Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby

The agile Yellow-footed Rock-wallaby (Petrogale xanthopus) can be found in scattered populations among rocky outcrops and gorges in semi-arid country in eastern South Australia, western New South Wales and isolated pockets in Queensland. It stands about 60 centimetres in height and is attractively marked with orange-brown stripes on the tail and rich orange to bright yellow forearms, hind limbs and feet.

The stamp photograph is by Julie Fletcher Photography.

$3.90 Bilby

The Bilby (Macrotis lagotis) is an ash-coloured, desert-dwelling marsupial around the size of a rabbit. It has a long, pointed snout, long ears, soft grey fur and a striking black and white tail. The Bilby was once widely distributed through arid and semi-arid Australia, but wild populations are now restricted to spinifex grassland in Western Australia and the Northern Territory, and to a small region of south-western Queensland.

The stamp photograph is by Darren Jew © The State of Queensland.

$4.30 Koala

The Koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) is a national icon. It is found in eastern Australia from the temperate south to the tropical north. Koalas vary in weight from around 6.5 to 12 kilograms, with northern animals usually smaller than their southern relatives. Inactive for about 20 hours a day, koalas spend most of their lives in Eucalypt trees, the leaves of which provide the animals with virtually their sole source of food.

The stamp photograph is by Yatra4289/Shutterstock.com.