This is only a simple postcard, but I'd like to create a maximum card, with a Japanese stamp and the help of a Japanese philatelic partner/friend to get a postmark :)
Appearances are deceiving - that's their purpose.
Do you think the above owl is a fatso?
You think so?
Just like a sumo wrestler only appears to be a fatso, when in fact he is a strong athlete who overeats on purpose, due to the sumo tradition. So he gets a layer of fat over his well-trained muscles.
Well, our owl in the postcard above only shakes its feathers, I guess.
Or, maybe it has just swallowed...a whole hedgehog (you think I'm kidding? Read more about owls...:)...)
Or, maybe it has just swallowed a long-spine porcupinefish, also known as the spiny balloonfish.
Just kidding. :)
"Blakiston's Fish Owl is possibly the largest species of owl at 60-75cm (24-30 in). A recent field study of the species showed males weighing from 3 to 3.75 kg (6.6-8.3 lbs), with the female, at up to 4.5 kg (10 lbs), about 25% larger.[1] Superficially, this owl looks like the Eurasian eagle owl, but is paler, and has broad, ragged ear tufts. "
Read this, and see some great images, too:
