How have I missed this little critter up to this point? Firstly, I should say that the orange background is almost luminous – it’s so bright on the page on the original stamp. Combine that with the black and white of the image – it’s almost alive…
This little dude or dudette is described above as a Chinese Porcupine, more correctly known as Hystrix brachyura hodgsoni, a subspecies of the more internet-searchable Malayan Porcupine. They’re terrestrial and hang out in small groups forests or at the edge of forests. They make their homes in rocky outcrops or in burrows, eat pretty much anything that’s on the ground and can swim (which is pretty cool).
It’s late September – it’s been a ridiculously busy month and a crazy six months. I’ve been feeling a bit overwhelmed by many things recently but the Chinese Porcupine has cheered me up tonight. I have the feeling they’re pretty relentless creatures, muddling along, lunching on what they find and being stealthy enough that they’re of Least Concern when it comes to endangerment. I’m smiling very broadly at this stamp š
Stamp of the Day 