East London-based photographer Martin Le-May captured footage of a baby weasel and a woodpecker that seem to be joining forces – with the itty-bitty weasel hitchhiking on the bird’s back.
Unfortunately, appearances can be deceiving. In reality, the baby weasel was hungry, looking to make a meal out of the bird.
The woodpecker takes off in flight, hoping to survive another day, yet the weasel hops aboard his back in hopes of taking him down.
Le-May was enjoying a walk with his wife on a beautiful day at Hornchurch Country Park when the pair heard the commotion caused by the two fighting animals.
The woodpecker flew past Le-May with something on top of his back… it was the weasel!
Martin Le-May via Business Insider
Le-May did not hesitate to pull out his camera and start snapping some photos of the incredible moment in nature.
At first glance, the pictures seem cute, but those two creatures are in a fight for their lives – the woodpecker wants to live another day, and the weasel needs to eat.
When the bird landed, the weasel happened to spot Le-May and his wife. The two started to scuffle on the ground a bit, but then the weasel noticed the photographer and his wife looking at them.
The slight distraction gave the woodpecker enough time to swoop off into the sky, surviving with one heck of a story to share with his mates.
The weasel ran away hungry – off to find his next meal elsewhere.
Weasels are known to rob nests, and this little weasel was likely looking to score a free meal. The woodpecker was not about to give up without a fight.
When bird-enthusiast Jason Ward originally shared the photos, the real story behind their origin remained unknown. He assumed that it was an unlikely friendship – an odd animal couple.
The story initially went viral as more of a love story. Then, the sinister truth came out. Jason’s Twitter caption has been updated since, to reflect the truth of the wild ride.
Experts have shared their take on the photographs, commenting that the bird is a European green woodpecker. The breed is known to make loud sounds. They feast on ants and should be careful of weasels looking to feast on them and their young.
Lucky for the bird, the baby weasel was not big enough to take him down – especially considering the fact he became distracted by onlookers.
ABSOLUTLEY INCREDIBLE photo by Martin Le-May. Green Woodpecker and Weasel. Apparently the Woodpecker escaped. pic.twitter.com/PUt1b2Mbhs
— Jason Ward (@Jayward7) March 2, 2015
A full-grown weasel is usually about the same size as a woodpecker, but in this case, the woodpecker is larger than the weasel.
That type of woodpecker can grow to around 8 inches (210-216mm) in length with a 12-inch (320-330mm) wingspan.
However, weasels are not very big either. They’re considered the smallest carnivore in the world – growing between four and ten inches and weighing as little as one ounce.
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