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.
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“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:
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