Two Cute Owlets

Claim:   Photographs show two cute owlets sitting in a tree.

FALSE

Example:   [Collected via email, December 2014]

Origins:   In December 2014, a photo purportedly showing two strange-looking owlets began circulating on Facebook:

The image received a viral boost on 16 December 2014 when it was shared via Reddit on the r/awww subreddit with the title "cute baby owls." Despite the fact that these creatures look more like Furby dolls than owlets, many people believed that they were real animals.

The photograph, however, was not snapped by a wildlife photographer; rather it was taken by Russian puppet creator Marina Yamkoskaia. The image shown above was originally shared by Yamkoskaia on her Instagram account on 13 December 2014, where she had been documenting the creation of these furry figments of her imagination for several months.

In an interview with the Russian publication Adme.ru, Yamkoskaia said she started drawing and sewing as a child:

Last updated:   21 December 2014