This is not a drill, it’s a New Meme Alert! The #WeaselPecker Image Gone Viral has taken over the internet as the latest distraction–sparking inspiration, snarks and laughs. What did you miss?…
Memes, tweets, and analytical debates pushed the #WeaselPecker Image Gone Viral into international spotlight today. The “big deal” is this picture, originally taken by Jason Ward and credited to Martin Le-May as of this Monday according to CNN, captured a small baby weasel riding on the back of a green woodpecker as it flew through the air. Over 7,000 Twitter users retweeted the picture–before British media and TV picked it up and interviewed the photographers.
The amateur photographer from Essex, near London, told the broadcaster he had been walking with his wife in Hornchurch Country Park, Essex, when they heard “a distressed squawking” noise and spotted the woodpecker. “Just after I switched from my binoculars to my camera the bird flew across us and slightly in our direction; suddenly it was obvious it had a small mammal on its back and this was a struggle for life,” Le-May said.
#WeaselPecker Image Gone Viral but is it for real or a Photoshop? Experts have actually already weighed in on the weasel’s whereabouts according to CNN:
“Marina Pacheco, chief executive of Britain’s Mammal Society told CNN the image looked genuine and that it was possible an omnivorous weasel would take on a woodpecker…But she said the weasel, which would generally try to break the neck of its prey to subdue it, may have exceeded its abilities in this case. “I think it was a bit of a long shot — it looks like it tried to grab the neck of the woodpecker to break it,” Pacheco said. “I think that it probably doesn’t have a big enough jaw to bite through the spine of the woodpecker.”
So really, the weasel was trying to kill that pecker (yikes)…but nature aside it does look like the illest “I’m a survivor,” “ride or die,” “On The Run,” “me and bae be like” image! So far Russian President Vladimir Putin, Gandalf, Darth Vader, John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, and football (soccer) star John Terry have all been memed on the back of this bird. As well the #WeaselPecker Image Gone Viral has like any viral trend brought together everyday people, celebrities, “experts” and pop culture to one point of focus.
Check the gallery for the Tweet action!
