Coyote with no tail?

[FL-NC]

I placed a wild turkey carcass in the woods behind the house (zip tied to an old fence post) and put the cameras on it just to see what showed up through the night. Saw foxes, possums, a "normal" coyote, and coons as expected. At one point, what I swear is another coyote came and drug the whole thing off. it looked and acted like a coyote- (light fur, low profile, very cautious on the approach, coyote-like overall appearance and size for the area) but NO TAIL! I saw it several times over 2 nights and had a good view of it from multiple angles- (2 cameras set in video mode) so it wasn't "tucked low" like they tend to do. I wonder if it could be a dog that had its tail cropped and went feral (doesn't fit the description of any dog I've SEEN in this area) or if its a coyote minus a tail? Hard to imagine how a coyote could lose a tail from whatever cause and survive.

 

[jmorris]

I have seen lots of dogs with 3 legs in the past. Loosing a tail would be less significant I would imagine.

Where are the photos from the game camera?

 

[Armored farmer]

Bobcat?
Coyote sized and colored.
They love turkeys too.

 

[horsey300]

I placed a wild turkey carcass in the woods behind the house (zip tied to an old fence post) and put the cameras on it just to see what showed up through the night. Saw foxes, possums, a "normal" coyote, and coons as expected. At one point, what I swear is another coyote came and drug the whole thing off. it looked and acted like a coyote- (light fur, low profile, very cautious on the approach, coyote-like overall appearance and size for the area) but NO TAIL! I saw it several times over 2 nights and had a good view of it from multiple angles- (2 cameras set in video mode) so it wasn't "tucked low" like they tend to do. I wonder if it could be a dog that had its tail cropped and went feral (doesn't fit the description of any dog I've SEEN in this area) or if its a coyote minus a tail? Hard to imagine how a coyote could lose a tail from whatever cause and survive.

I scream coy-dog, they pop up from time to time.

 

[FL-NC]

I have seen lots of dogs with 3 legs in the past. Loosing a tail would be less significant I would imagine.

Where are the photos from the game camera?

I've seen dogs like that too- after the tail or leg was surgically removed. Hard to imagine a wild animal going through such a thing in the wild and not dying of an infection or such. I reloaded the card right back in the camera- waiting to see if it comes back.

 

[FL-NC]

Bobcat?
Coyote sized and colored.
They love turkeys too.

Definitely not a cat of any kind. Bigger than any feline around here.

 

[entropy]

Chupacabra!

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Chupas are hairiless or nearly hairless, LOL

 

[John Joseph]

Probably a Hippie.

 

[RPRNY]

Stealing in the night? Tail between legs cowardly cur? I can identify it but I understand we are discouraged from making disparaging political posts. Be warned, if it gets indigestion, you'll be hearing from lawyers, the ACLU, Southern Poverty Law Center, and Rachel Maddow...

 

[jmr40]

A tailless coyote wouldn't be terrible unusual. I've seen tailless squirrels and domestic cats that had survived close encounters with predators. A pack of coyote will turn on one of their own pretty quickly if food is scarce or during mating season.

 

[FL-NC]

OK, upon inspection of better footage from last night- its a gray fox minus a tail. I guess I won't shoot that one since the pelt will look stupid. Maybe it got on the wrong end of a coyote or a dog, and the wound healed up.

 

[Varminterror]

I've seen, called, and trapped lots of tail-less coyotes over the years. It happens a LOT more than you'd think. An injury in a fight, getting snagged on a fence, caught in a trap, you name it. Probably the most common I've seen, to be honest, is a dog which survived mange - their tails freeze off (frostbite), then the next season, if they don't die and get over the mange, they'll get their coat back, sans tail.

Coy-dog is probably the LEAST likely scenario, since very, very few dog breeds are actually born without tails. They're surgically removed shortly after birth. This is especially true for any breed which could be remotely mistaken for a coyote. So a hybrid coy-dog would have been born with a tail. Flukes and deformities happen in any breed, but lacking a tail would be incredibly unlikely just as a result of hybridization. I spent far too long breeding, showing, and selling AKC/UKC/ASCA registered dogs to think this is the answer.

So, in this case, the simplest answer is most likely the truth - just another coyote without his tail. Happens all of the time.

 

[FL-NC]

I've seen, called, and trapped lots of tail-less coyotes over the years. It happens a LOT more than you'd think. An injury in a fight, getting snagged on a fence, caught in a trap, you name it. Probably the most common I've seen, to be honest, is a dog which survived mange - their tails freeze off (frostbite), then the next season, if they don't die and get over the mange, they'll get their coat back, sans tail.

Coy-dog is probably the LEAST likely scenario, since very, very few dog breeds are actually born without tails. They're surgically removed shortly after birth. This is especially true for any breed which could be remotely mistaken for a coyote. So a hybrid coy-dog would have been born with a tail. Flukes and deformities happen in any breed, but lacking a tail would be incredibly unlikely just as a result of hybridization. I spent far too long breeding, showing, and selling AKC/UKC/ASCA registered dogs to think this is the answer.

So, in this case, the simplest answer is most likely the truth - just another coyote without his tail. Happens all of the time.

Interesting. This is a first for me. I guess the scenarios you described could just as easily happen to a gray fox.

 

[Kingcreek]

We had a litter of pups on our golden retriever and when she nipped off the umbilical cords she got one little tail by mistake. Didn't get full value for that docked pup but the family that got it loved it just the same. I've seen tailless squirrels but I think that might be mange or something sometimes.

 

[Patocazador]

I've got a young bull with a stub tail. He got it caught in a fence. Pretty common with cows.

 

[J-Bar]

Losing a tail traumatically could explain why it was "very cautious on the approach..."!

 

[CraigC]

Saw a coon without a tail about a year ago. Thought it looked just like a koala bear.

 

[HB]

I've seen a fox missing a foot and a trail cam pic of a doe missing it's front leg. Both seemed to be in good health considering.

My dog is missing a leg but I got her that way. I would bet fences, cars, traps, and predators would be the causes.

Animals are incredibly resilient. When your choice is die, or keep going, most keep going.

 

[Don McDowell]

Coyotes that survey the mange will usually loose their tails, and look somewhat like a hyena

 

[wankerjake]

It must have had a run-in with some lion hounds

 

[Dog Soldier]

http://azlionhunts.com/uplitter.htm

This one did. Northern Arizona. Fall of 2010. Spotted lion lost tail and right eye.

 

[wankerjake]

This one did. Northern Arizona. Fall of 2010. Spotted lion lost tail and right eye.

View attachment 235143

Lol. Everyone knows a good pack of hounds will turn a lion right into a bobcat. Or in extreme cases, into a tail-less coyote:

 

[Dog Soldier]

You need to get out of Tucson more. This is a Bob Cat.

 

[Dog Soldier]

Spotted lions young and old are common. They are not all slick one color creatures like in the Disney Movies. The spots in adults become more modeled. Young lions have very distinct spots in some cases until 2 or 3 years old.
I have never seen a Cougar with ear tassels apparently you have, Share a picture?