IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Woodpecker gives weasel a bird's-eye view with piggyback flight

Think you know nature? Think again! The wide world of wilderness always keeps us guessing.
/ Source: TODAY

Think you know nature? Think again! The wide world of wilderness always keeps us guessing.

For example: You probably never thought you'd see a weasel riding a woodpecker's back midflight — at least not outside of a cartoon. Well ...

Yes, that fantastical image is real. The photographer who witnessed and documented the rare spectacle in London on Tuesday is Martin Le-May.

While the image is undeniably amazing — for some of us, it conjures up further images of an adorably cooperative animal kingdom — it's not actually an example of a couple of feathered and furry BFFs.

The weasel was on the attack!

"I heard a distressed squawking noise and feared the worst," Le-May told BBC News Tuesday. "I think we may have distracted the weasel, as when the woodpecker landed it managed to escape and the weasel ran into the grass."

So a great photo and a happy ending — though the weasel likely thinks it could have had an ever happier ending for him.

Follow Ree Hines on Google+.