I always wonder what the story is when I see an animal that looks different from the rest. This Coyote is obviously missing the long and luxurious tail its species usually sports.
Sometimes a shorter tail is a sign of mange, but you can usually see the core of the tail hanging down below the furry part in that case. Did it lose part of its tail in a fight? Coyotes have been known to survive losing a whole leg, so a tail being mutilated would be survivable. Maybe the tail is an uncommon birth defect.
However it happened, the loss of the tail didn’t appear to affect the Coyote much. It trotted onto a side road when I approached in my car, paused to look at me quizzically, and then squatted in some underbrush to give me the ole Coyote salute.