Kohei Nagira's Image

A sika deer carries the interlocked severed head of a rival male that had died after their battle.

In autumn, male sika deer fight over females by clashing their antlers.

This deer won the fight, but their antlers became tightly locked and wouldn’t come apart.

A local fisherman says the deer dragged the whole body for several days before finally tearing off its head.

Kohei observed the deer on Notsuke Peninsula in Hokkaido, Japan, from late November 2020 to April 2021.

It was living alone, yet it continued to forage for grass and branches and managed to survive the winter.

The image shows life and death bound together.