New picture:

IT’S A DEAD DOG….

Yep.

The site that originally published the photo is “wrapping up the story” for now since there is no further information, and they put together this collage of all the Photoshop fun readers had with the original photo - some of them are pretty funny! Some are attempts to superimpose known animals on top of the photo, and show how it’s a perfect fit, which is interesting. The superimposed raccoon looks kind of cool. Someone else put sunglasses on it and a deck of playing cards in its paws… others inserted it into advertisements, where it cavorts with models.

http://gawker.com/5032730/the-2008-montauk-monster-yearbook

“What the hell happened last week? ...We’ve received countless emails positing theories and declaring conclusions. It’s a dog, it’s a raccoon, it is actually Lizzie Grubman, it’s some sort of energy bar called a Nutria, etc. Some of those emails came with pictures, whether they were side-by-side comparisons or Photoshop mashups. So we thought we’d provide a definitive Montauk Monster photo gallery for you which you can look at, if you dare, after the jump. If you have more pictures, send them along. This X-File remains open…”

All in all, the coverage was funny and amusing. At least it took everyone’s mind off the multiple drownings we’ve had recently due to storm currents… that was very depressing.

A cogent argument that it’s a raccoon HERE.

Doug, that is great! Thanks for the link. I love at the end - it’s funny when the guy says:

“For previous identifications of mystery carcasses see the Erongo carcass article and the Santa Cruz duck-billed elephant monster article.”

That just sounds so amusing.

dougsmith - 06 August 2008 02:57 PM

A cogent argument that it’s a raccoon HERE.

A scale in the photo would help.

asanta - 04 August 2008 12:38 PM

IT’S A DEAD DOG….

umm, I mean—a dead CARNIVORE!!! (great article)

I think we all know the real story behind this creature!

And another one…

Wow, that little critter sure does get around ...

dougsmith - 07 August 2008 12:22 PM

Wow, that little critter sure does get around ...

There is actually a colony of them, our government has been hiding them from us, this is the first one stumbled upon by the public (you know, ye old government conspiracy, hard at work)

The mystery has apparently been solved - a very silly college vacation prank. The boys have photos of the prank proving it was them (of course we never doubted it was a dead common animal. We just weren’t sure which dead common animal - dog, racoon, etc.)

‘Montauk Monster’ Mystery May Have Been Solved

“He then related a tale of finding a dead raccoon in the sand on nearby Shelter Island in late June 2008. Being young men on vacation, they put the animal on an inflatable child’s swim duck, along with a lot of other debris. Then they set it on fire and pushed it out to sea.

“This creature was honored with a Viking funeral, not merely exploited for crass entertainment,” the anonymous raccoon undertaker insisted. “In the interest of full disclosure,” he added, “this did happen shortly after a waterboarding endurance competition, and just before a clothespins-on-your-genitals challenge.”

Drew Grant’s blog, which has a not-safe-for-work name we won’t repeat, provides helpful photographic evidence of said raccoon Viking funeral.”

Boys will be boys!

I didn’t vote because I thought it was a dog, but who knows, could be a raccoon. All, I know is I just ate my first spoonful of Cheerios when I looked in this thread!! 

I hope it wasn’t too gross, at least it was still “intact” and not bloody/gorey. 

I just thought it was kind of funny the boys gave the raccoon a “Viking Funeral at Sea.” How silly!