Montauk Monster: It's Alive! Three Live Sightings So Far

---

New Montauk Monster Photo
"Montauk Monster is Back: Photo Revealed"
(May 13, 2009)

---

When one of my daughters heard that the Montauk Monster was a carcass found by people on an "upscale East Hampton, N.Y., beach," she understood why they hadn't recognized it. "City people" isn't what she said, exactly, but that's the general idea.


(From College OTR, used without permission)

Bodies of drowned critters don't wash up on Minnesota beaches all that often, but it does happen. When they do, they aren't looking their best. Sort of like the Montauk Monster.

Since the people who apparently found it haven't let scientists, or pretty much anyone else, see the body, it's likely that the carcass won't be identified. Not for some time, anyway.

Biologist Jeff Corwin says that the Montauk Monster's a raccoon. He could be right: although he gave that evaluation rather quickly, after being dragged away from watching a ball game.

" 'Animal Planet' wildlife expert Jeff Corwin video." (FOXNews video 3:08)

I'd say that he's very close. Take a drowned raccoon, leave it in the Atlantic Ocean for a while, and let it wash up on a beach. After hours of baking in the sun, it could look a whole lot like the Montauk Monster. Particularly to upscale city folks. That's my opinion, at any rate.


(From cryptomundo.com, via FOXNews, used without permission)

We get a better look at the head in this photo. It doesn't look much like a raccoon, but remember: we're used to seeing raccoons with the upholstery on.


(From Skulls Unlimited International, used without permission)

That's a raccoon's head, without the flesh and fur. The upper canines aren't in the Montauk Monster, but otherwise it's a pretty good match.

Montauk Monster Live Sightings

Now there have been sightings of the mysterious Montauk Monster. Alive. Three of them, at least.

"Montauk 'Monsters' - At Least Three Live Sightings Reported. Hybrid Dog? Raccoon? What?" (Earthfiles (August 3, 2008)) does a pretty good job of discussing the latest developments: " On July 29, 2008, a photo of a strange, unidentified animal that appeared to have a beak, long, thin paws and the body of a dog was posted on the blog Gawker...." The article even includes a map, that shows how close the Plum Island Animal Disease Center is to Montauk (about a dozen miles).

Here's a Google satellite map of the area:
View Larger Map

I'm not surprised that people have seen the Montauk Monster, running around and breathing heavily. It'd be a little surprising if somebody hadn't seen it, considering the publicity.

Or, seen something about the same size and general shape. It's hard to tell from the photos, but Jeff Corwin's guess about the Montauk Monster being roughly two feet long seems reasonable. There are quite a few critters around that size.

And, from what I've heard and read about the reliability of eyewitness testimony, people can see and remember just about anything, given the right circumstances.

I've come up with an explanation of the Montauk Monster which covers all the known facts, including the recent live sightings: "Montauk Monster: Publicity Stunt by Space Aliens, Implicating USDA's Plum Island?" (July 30, 2008). I don't believe a word of it, but it makes a good story.

Vaguely-related posts:

• "Invasion of the Giant Jellyfish! No, Really"
  (July 20, 2009)
• "Blob in Chukchi Sea May be Alive, or It Came From Alaska"
  (July 17, 2009)
• "Montauk Monster is Back: Photo Revealed"
  (May 13, 2009)
• "Swine Flu / Influenza A(H1N1) Might, Maybe, be a Lab Mistake"
  (May 13, 2009)
• "Montauk Monster: It's Alive! Three Live Sightings So Far"
  (August 3, 2008)
• "Montauk Monster: Publicity Stunt by Space Aliens, Implicating USDA's Plum Island?"
  (July 30, 2008)

About Eyewitness testimony:

• It's not entirely reliable
  "HOW RELIABLE IS EYEWITNESS TESTIMONY?: A Decision By New York State's Highest Court Reveals Unsettling Truths About Juries "
  FindLaw (May 16, 2001)
• It's not entirely unreliable
  "Is Expert Testimony On Eyewitness Reliability Admissible?"
  Forensic-Evidence.com (March 18, 2003)