The photo went viral after posted by BuzzFeed and was shared… a lot. (Cue #TheDress)
Most people saw the image as a couple of buddies hanging out and a weasel merely hitching a ride.
Sadly, no.
Wildlife expert Lucy Cooke told the BBC: “The green woodpecker is a ground-feeding bird, but weasels normally attack rabbits. The woodpecker is not its usual prey.”
“But weasels are fearless.”
“A female weasel weighs less than a Mars Bar but is as ferocious as a lion, so this is why the woodpecker would have been able to take off with it on its back.”
Form TheBlaze:
Photographer Martin Le-May also provided insight to BuzzFeed into the moment he called a “struggle for life.”
“Just after I switched from my binoculars to my camera the bird flew across us and slightly in our direction; suddenly it was obvious it had a small mammal on its back and this was a struggle for life,” he told the news outlet.
“The woodpecker landed in front of us and I feared the worst. I guess though our presence, maybe 25 meters away, momentarily distracted the weasel,” Le-May added. “The woodpecker seized the opportunity and flew up and away into some bushes away to our left. Quickly the bird gathered its self respect and flew up into the trees and away from our sight.”
“The woodpecker left with its life. The weasel just disappeared into the long grass, hungry.”
(Photo Credit: Martin Le-May)
