July 08
You have no doubt heard about the crazy Monster From Beyond that washed up in the Hamptons. Gawker broke the story on Monday and Animal Planet’s Jeff Corwin even appeared on Fox News to douche it up for the cameras. Here’s the skewwy monster:
Now, people have been flipping the eff out over this thing, because it sort of resembles Tokka from Secret of the Ooze.
There’s a much-touted “government animal testing facility” near Montauk, which apparently is manufacturing evil beaked creatures for export to terrorist nations, according to conspiritards.
On the other end are the cynics, who wave this off as just another viral marketing ploy for some movie.
But, derr, kids. It’s no monster, and it’s no Photoshop job. It’s a raccoon. Look:
(Click the image to enlarge.)
The “beak” you’re seeing are the maxillae and nasal bones, with the maxillary premolars, canines and incisors missing. The whiteness of the “beak” in relation to the rest of the skull is probably due to marine scavengers eating its face.
So where’s its fur? Well, fur can decompose at different rates from the rest of the soft tissue, depending on where the animal died and decomposed. (I can see this happening if it were tossed into the water in a plastic bag, for instance.) Or, derr, it could’ve been skinned. Look at the original picture again. Notice how the neck looks unusually skinny for a raccoon? That’s because procyonids like the raccoon, along with mustelids, felines and canids (and most carnivorous mammals) have a large deposit of subdermal cervical fat. You take the skin away, that goes with it.
Other things: look at the placement and orientation of the ears and eyes. Look at the articulation of the digits on the paws and the limbs. Look at the way the femur sits on the ilium, making that raccoonish haunch. Look at the scale (that black speck thing on its back is a fly). It’s a raccoon—one who had its face gnawed off, which is more awesome than a monster.
Posted by: Aaron Retka in Squirrel of the Week! | Permalink
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5 Responses to “The Montauk monster. Derr.”
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it’s creepy looking that’s what it is.
According to a New York Newsday article, Stony Brook University biology dept has said the legs are too long to be a raccoon. I used to go to the Montauk base pretty often in high school, we broke into bunkers and climbed the 6 story radar tower and got chased by black SUVs. The whole story has it that a psychic experiment created “Junior”, a monster which destroyed one of the bunkers.. that area of Long Island is definitely creepy, but is now a public park since military operations supposedly have moved to Navy Road on the west side of town. If you visit, I suggest entering through the Fisherman’s Entrance near the lighthouse, and you might spot some seals on the beach, though nothing like this thing.
I wonder if it tastes like chicken?
As a cyncial journalist, I believe this is all a hoax. Or some college kid’s thesis to mess with people.
They claim it washed back out to sea. How convenient. If it were me, I would have grabbed people to try and keep it for investigation.
We’re a country of gullible fools.
–>> .. me and mutagen had nothing to do with this.
>v