Weasel Rides Woodpecker - An amazing picture of a woodpecker giving a weasel a ride on it's back while it flies through the air has gone viral.

The extraordinary image was captured on Monday afternoon by amateur British photographer Martin Le-May of Essex.

Le-May said he took the picture of a weasel riding on the back of a flying green woodpecker while he was out walking with his wife Ann at Hornchurch County Park in East London.

"I heard a distressed squawking noise and feared the worst," Le-May said. "I soon realized it was a woodpecker with some mammal on it's back."

"I think we may have distracted the weasel as when the woodpecker landed it managed to escape and the weasel ran into the grass."

Le-May said he has been amazed by people's reaction to the picture, especially on social media. The incredible wildlife shot has been retweeted thousands of times on Twitter.

"I'm so proud so many people are getting to see my image. I'm totally taken aback by response to it," he said.

Wildlife experts have analyzed the picture of the weasel taking a ride on the woodpecker's back and their conclusion is that it is not fake.

According to Lucy Cooke, a Wildlife expert "This is a truly extraordinary image."

"The green woodpecker is a ground-feeding bird, but weasels normally attack rabbits. The woodpecker is not its usual prey," Cooke told the BBC.

"But weasels are fearless."

"A female weasel weighs less than a Mars Bar but it as ferocious as a lion, so this is why the woodpecker would have been able to take off with it on it's back," Cooke explained.

Wildlife presenter Steve Backshall agrees, saying although the photo is very unusual he has "no reason to doubt" its authenticity.

"The weasel is pretty fascinating as well. It can kill things much bigger than itself, so it's an impressive little creature when you think about it's size," he said.