Martin Le-May, an amateur photographer from Essex, United Kingdom, captured an amazing photo of a weasel hitching a ride on the back of a flying woodpecker on Monday, March 2. The wildlife image has gone viral and been retweeted many thousands of times, but there is much online buzz about whether or not the photo is real.
The weasel was a "least weasel." Meanwhile the woodpecker was a "European green woodpecker,"
Le-May took the photo while he was at Hornchurch County Park, located in East London. He took the shot while he was out for a walk with Ann, his wife.
The Essex resident was worried when he heard a squawking sound, which turned out to be the woodpecker with a small weasel hanging onto its back.
Le-May thinks that he and his wife distressed the weasel. That is because after the woodpecker landed it was able to free itself from the weasel.
The photographer has been shocked by social media's reaction to the photo, which has been "almost a dream" for him, according to BBC. In fact, people have retweeted it many thousand times. But is the photo real?
Lucy Cooke, a wildlife expert, explains that weasels usually attack rabbits rather than woodpeckers. But the woodpecker was not giving his buddy a lift. Cooke also noted that a female weasel weighs less than a standard candy bar, but is very fierce.
Next, Steve Backshall, a wildlife presenter, does not doubt that the photo is genuine. He explained that woodpeckers can carry creatures many times their body weight.
In regards to the technical aspects of the photo, computer scientist Hany Farid of Dartmouth University thinks that it is authentic. One reason is because the focus, color, and lighting on the weasel and the woodpecker are basically the same, according to National Geographic.
So it seems that weasels are mean, woodpeckers are strong, and real pictures look uniform. The verdict is in: it is the real deal!