2008, March 7. Rats and Mice Found in Luzon Island
Litho Offset. Amstar Company, Inc. Perf. 14
Se-tenant Blocks of 4, Miniature Sheets of 16 (4 x 4); Souvenir Sheets of 3
Se-tenant Blocks of 4 (25,000)
7p Luzon Furry-tailed Rat
7p Cordillera Striped Earth-Rat
7p Cordillera Forest Mouse
7p Cordillera Shrew-mouse
Miniature Sheets of 16 (6,250)
Souvenir Sheets of 3 (6,000)
7p Northern Giant Cloud Rat
7p Lasser Dwarf Cloud Rat
20p Bushytailed Cloud Rat (Imperf)
With a se-tenant pair (perforated) and a single (imperforate, but with simulated perfs)
Designer and Graphic Artist: Corazon T. Loza
Design Coordinators: Dr. Ngo Tiong Tak, Maria Josefa S. Veluz
Photos provided by the National Museum courtesy of Dr. Lawrence R. Heaney, Director Corazon Alvina, Velizar Simeonovski (artist) and Dr. Virgilio Palpal-latoc, Chief of Zoology Division.
First Day Covers: Manila
RATS & MICE FOUND IN LUZON ISLAND
Rats are various medium-sized rodents and have an average life span of 2 to 3 years. Domestic rats differ from wild rats in many ways. They are calmer and less likely to bite. They can tolerate greater crowding. They are known to breed earlier.
Luzon Furry-tailed Rat (Batomys granti). This rat is from the cloud rat group. It feeds on fruits and leaves but unlike its closest relatives, it lives mostly on the ground.
Cordillera Striped Earth-rat (Chrotomys whitehead). Found in the mountains of Luzon Island, and in Mindoro and Sibuyan. This Species lives in the Central Cordillera of Luzon. It feeds primarily on earthworms. Useful in controlling earthworms that are damaging the famous Ifugao Rice Terraces.
Cordillera Forest Mouse (Apomys datae). Rarely seen even though they are among the most abundant native mammals in the natural forests of Luzon. They feed on small animals (earthworms and insects, etc..) and seeds and fruits. They rarely if ever live in agricultural areas nor houses.
Cordillera Shrew-mouse (Archboldomys kalinga). Active only during daytime, searching in dead leaves in the forest for earthworms and other small prey animals.
Northern Giant Cloud Rat (Phloeomys pallidus). Found in Luzon, Catanduanes and Marinduque. They live primarily in treetops in the forest, feeding at night on tender young leaves and shoots. Among the largest rodents in Asia, weighing up to 2.6 kg.
Lesser Dwarf Cloud Rat (Carpomys phaeurus). They live in treetops in mossy forest in the Central Cordillera of Luzon, where they feed primarily on seeds. Active at night and rarely seen.
Bushy-tailed Cloud Rat (Crateromys schadenbergi). They live in the high mountains of the Central Cordillera of Luzon. They feed mostly on tender young leaves in the treetops in montane forest. Known for its long, soft and beautiful fur.
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Animals