Southern Serow - Stamp

Southern Serow - Naemorbedus Sumatraensis Stamp

A great animal stamp.

Related to other herbivores, Serows in the genus Capricornis have relatively short bodies and long legs. The upperparts of their bodies are usually black or dark grey sometimes with reddish tinges. Their under parts are paler. A long shaggy mane of hair runs along their backs.

Both sexes of the serow are similar in size with short slightly curved horns. There is a distinctive large open gland in front of each of their eyes.

The serow mainly inhibits steep forested cliffs including limestone mountains. They can also be found in lowlands and on off-shore limestone islands as well. Serows will come out to feed in more open areas in the early morning and late evening. The serow will eat almost all vegetation.

Mainly solitary, serows come together only to mate. One or usually two young are born after a gestation period of 7-8 months. The young may stay with the mother for up to a year. The serows' territory spans from India to southern China. This includes most of the mainland in South-East Asia and Sumatra. It is believe that serows have great healing properties. This is the reason they are hunted till today. Their numbers in the wild have decreased and today, serows are totally protected under the Protection of Wildlife Act.

Technical Details

Date of Issue : 25-Jan-2003

Stamp Value : 30 Sen; 50 Sen Setenant

Stamp Size : 30mm X 40mm

Sheet Content : 20 Stamps

Perforation : 14

Paper : Watermarked, Phosphor Coated

Printing Process : Lithography

First Day Cover Value : 30 Sen

Presentation Pack Value : RM3.00

Arachnid Stamps

Malaysia post issued a set of four stamps featuring various spiders found in the country. The spiders are Fighting Spider, Curved Spiny Spider, St Andrew’s Cross Spider, Golden Orb-web Spider some of which are poisonous also.

Thiania bhamoensis:
The species is iridescent green-blue. Females are more green, males more blue. From the front view, the female’s face are black. And the males are white.






                                                                                                                                       









 These spiders build a silken retreat by binding a pair of green leaves together, where they rest, moult and lay their eggs, which is unusual for a jumping spider. Making a single rivet to attach the leaves takes about half an hour. About four to ten rivets are arranged in a roughly elliptical manner. These nests are built by both sexes and juveniles. Although T. bhamoensis can be found on many kinds of plants, it most often chooses Crinum asiaticum (spider lily).

Because two males will readily fight each other, either in a natural setting, or if put together, they are commonly known as “fighting spider” in South-east Asia. These spiders are commonly kept in matchboxes with a piece of green leaf and a spat of saliva for moisture. A spider that wins fight after fight gets the status of “first king”.

Gasteracantha arcuata:
Spiders of the Gasteracantha genus build vertical orb-webs with an open hub which are easily recognised. They have a hard, flat body armed with three pairs of spines on the edge of the abdomen. The spinnerets are elevated on a large projection and surrounded by a sclerotised ring-like structure.

In Singapore, the spider can be found only among tree branches on Bukit Timah Hill.

Argiope versicolor:
This species appears very similar to Argiope pulchella. Both have a pentagonal abdomen. The flat, oval, whitish egg-sac has a papery texture and is often suspended near the web. Argiope spiders make webs which are suspended vertically 1-2 metres from the ground.

The web of mature female spiders of this genus can be easily recognised by the X-shaped zigzag bands of white silk in the centre of the web.

The brilliantly coloured spider with silvery hair on the carapace sits head down in the centre of the web, and holds its legs in pairs in such a way that they appear to be aligned to the four arms of the letter ‘X’. The males are dull in colour and like the females, have the habit of pairing their legs. Their webs are, however, decorated by a lace-like centre, instead of white bands in the shape of the letter ‘X’.

Nephila maculata:
The Golden Orb Web Spider is not the largest spider, but makes the largest and strongest web. It gets its name from the golden colour of its silk.



The web can run from the top of a tree 6m high and up to 2m wide. Unlike other spider webs, the Golden Orb Web Spider’s web is not dismantled often and can last several years.
Designed to catch large flying insects, the web is slightly angled. It is not a perfect wheel and is usually off-centre. To make its web, the spider releases a thin thread into the wind. When it catches on something, the spider walks along it trailing a stronger non-sticky thread. It repeats the process in the centre of the line to form a strong Y-frame. Around this, it spins the rest of the web out of sticky capture silk.




The silk is so strong that it can trap small birds, which the spider doesn’t eat. These trapped creatures often destroy the web by thrashing around. To avoid such damage, the spider often leaves a line of insect husks on its web (like the safety strip across glass doors!); or builds smaller barrier webs around the main web.

Technical Details

Date of Issue : 7th December 2009

Stamp Value : 30 sen (2 Designs), 50 sen & RM1
Sheet Content : 20 Stamps

Miniature Sheet Size : RM5 (Embossed)

First Day Cover Value : 30 Sen

Perforation 14

Paper Watermarked SPM, Phosphor Coated

Printing Process Lithography

Printer : Percetakan Keselamatan Nasional Sdn. Bhd.

Designer : Teh Yew Kiang

Endangered Tiger Species Sheet

A beautiful scene.

After rechecking my stocks a few of these sheets are now available.Do note there is a increase in price.
All terms are open for discussion.

Malaysia Big Cats

A view of the  Big Cats