'Extraordinary' weasel hitches ride on woodpecker

At first glance you might think they are two tiny buddies sharing a joyride through the British countryside, but what’s happening in this picture is much more sinister.

(Martin Le-May)

Amateur photographer Martin Le-May captured the image of a weasel on the back of a woodpecker in an east London park.  

He was out walking with his wife at the time.

Wildlife expert Lucy Cooke told the BBC that while the picture was “extraordinary”, she believed the image was real – and that the weasel’s intention was to eat the woodpecker.

“The green woodpecker is a ground-feeding bird, but weasels normally attack rabbits,” she said. “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.”

Another wildlife expert, Steve Backshall, said the woodpecker is strong enough to carry up to 850 times its bodyweight.

Needless to say, the memes followed: