In another instance of one animal riding on another, photos from California-based photographer Phoo Chan show a crow nestled on a flying eagle's back. But the crow was likely looking to do more than catch a lift.

When close enough to land, the crow was probably mid-attack, explains Kevin McGowan, a biologist who specializes in crow behavior at the Cornell lab of Ornithology.

Birds are very territorial, particularly during the summer when their hatchlings are vulnerable. Crows (and many birds) seem to have a Napoleon complex—the mere presence of a larger bird incites heckling and mobbing. McGowan says territorial birds don’t normally get too close, but this particular crow probably found itself in the eagle's draft and settled