The Montauk Monster
A strange carcass on a Long Island beach, with a beak-like face and no fur, became one of the first viral monsters.
What was reported
In July 2008, a photo of a bloated, hairless animal with a beak-like snout, washed up on a beach near Montauk, spread across the internet. It was called the Montauk Monster, and theories pointed to a nearby animal disease laboratory on Plum Island.
The body was said to have been taken away, and no one examined it.
Explanations offered
Scientists who looked at the photo said it was most likely a decomposed raccoon: time in water swells a body, removes the fur and exposes the teeth, so the face looks like a beak. Other suggestions were a dog or a turtle without its shell.
- When
- July 2008
- Where
- Montauk, New York, USA
- Witnesses
- A few beachgoers, then the internet
- Status
- Probably a raccoon
Famous cases are real, widely reported events. Each file sets out what witnesses said and the explanations that have been offered, without taking a side.