Just for the record, DISCOVER’s official stance on the Montauk monster is that it’s a raccoon.
When the mysterious, decaying animal washed up on Montauk shore in Long Island in July, the rumors started. After the East Hampton newspaper The Independent first ran pictures of the dead animal and Gawker posted them online, interest in the creature, dubbed the “Montauk Monster” reached a fever pitch. As curious readers across the country speculated as to what exactly the “dog with a beak” was, several experts took a stab at figuring out the animal’s true origin.
The bloated carcass wasn’t in perfect shape— it was missing some teeth, had long legs, and had quickly turned to bones. Upon closer look at the photos, the animal appeared to be a raccoon. “We thought it could be a raccoon that was skinned and has its upper jaw missing,” says Larry Penny, director of Natural Resources for the Town of East Hampton.
