Vishal Subramanyan is a wildlife photographer who captures some truly stunning images. Earlier this month, Subramanyan recounted a time he spotted a coyote that made him do a double take. Did it have two heads? No, it was carrying something—a severed deer head. Subramanyan says it was a truly unexpected encounter, one he expertly caught on camera. He posted the photo to Instagram to share with his audience of nearly 60k.
“A few years ago, an early morning summer hike turned into a series of unexpected encounters with a common theme – canids with unusual prey items,” Subramanyan wrote in his caption. “The first encounter occurred in the early morning, just as the sun was rising over the hills. A coyote ran across a small ridge with prey in his mouth. With the distance and sun behind him, it was difficult to tell what the prey was – my initial thoughts were a rabbit or the leg of a cow. But as I raised my camera and took a picture – I realized it was the head of a deer.”
Subramanyan guesses the coyote may have taken the deer head from a mountain lion that took down the deer. Or maybe the deer died of natural causes and the coyote scavenged the head from the carcass. Regardless, it’s a fascinating photo showing a rare moment in nature.
“Whenever I’m feeling hesitant to go out – I think about this day, and the unexpected moments that nature can give us,” Subramanyan wrote. “It always inspires me to step outside and see what more fascinating encounters I can have.”
We love that outlook. You just never know what experiences you’re going to have when you step outdoors.
See a coyote carrying a deer head here: