The photo by amateur photographer Martin Le-May that started the memes
There’s only one way the internet could possibly react to an extraordinary photo of a weasel riding on the back of a green woodpecker – through memes.
Amatetur photographer Martin Le-May from Essex in the UK snapped the photo of the two animals on Monday afternoon in Hornchurch Country Park in east London.
“I heard a distressed squawking noise and feared the worst,” Le-May told the BBC. “I soon realised it was a woodpecker with some kind of small mammal on its back.”
Le-May, who was with his wife at the time, added he thinks they may have distracted the weasel “as when the woodpecker landed it managed to escape and the weasel ran into the grass.”
The reaction to the photo, which has been retweeted several thousand times and with the hashtag #WeaselPecker, has astounded Le-May.
“I’m totally taken aback by the response to it,” he said, and added he is proud so many people are getting to see his image.
Someone needed to meme the picture of the #WeaselPecker. And that someone is me. pic.twitter.com/Hg1d0U2WFw
— J. Graeme Noseworthy (@graemeknows) March 3, 2015
"All you ever did, was WeaselPeck me…" #WeaselPecker pic.twitter.com/xRbc2aMXTG
— Simon te Brinke (@gramercypark) March 3, 2015
If you've heard about the #WeaselPecker, you'll be pleased to see that someone has added Putin. (h/t to @sklueche) pic.twitter.com/CJ5O4tCG6h
— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) March 3, 2015
Watch out, #Putin-on-a-weasel-on-a-woodpecker – there's a Stormtrooper behind you! (via @msteeman) #WeaselPecker pic.twitter.com/dU5WSM9wpt
— The Moscow Times (@MoscowTimes) March 3, 2015
See? Nasa really did invent everything. #WeaselPecker pic.twitter.com/YnvGQidt3t
— BBC Future (@BBC_Future) March 3, 2015
To Mordor! One #WeaselPecker To Bind Them All! pic.twitter.com/zu7l9nKNAo (via @PollyClonal)
— The Poke (@ThePoke) March 3, 2015
Here’s a weasel riding a woodpecker pic.twitter.com/NyefaAG3Uz #WeaselPecker (via @Techwriteuk)
— The Poke (@ThePoke) March 3, 2015
"ok i think we lost them" MT @byouchah: MT @Jayward7 ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE photo Martin Le-May Green pic.twitter.com/A1R7Z6PFiX
— darth™ (@darth) March 2, 2015
Nils “@SittingByTheSea: Amazing photo of little man riding a pigeon. Apparently the pigeon escaped. #weaselpecker pic.twitter.com/QHO0ZwnIeh”
— Peter Draaisma 動 (@Peter_Draaisma) March 3, 2015
