By ,
Published January 14, 2015
It's hard to dispute some family resemblances, even after death.
The new Montauk Monster, found on a Southold, N.Y., beach earlier this month, probably is closely related to last year's edition, and was likely a stealthy, intelligent, night-ranging creature that may roam alarmingly close to human settlements.
The flesh of the new monster's skull has mostly rotted off, but the beak-like snout, wide back teeth and large eye sockets indicate that it may be of the same species as the original monster, which startled beachgoers in the chic resort town of Montauk, N.Y., last summer.
Then, as now, speculation was rampant that the strange beast was a the product of genetic experimenting on Plum Island, a government biological-research facility located off Long Island's North Fork, where this year's animal was found.
The still photo of the new creature released by Montauk-Monster.com shows a strange aquiline double-rowed skull, almost like that of a rodent. But the accompanying video footage features definite canine features, even if the larger cutting teeth appear to have fallen out.
FoxNews.com's unscientific preliminary conclusion, reached without even seening the remains, which Montauk-Monster.com says are "currently located in Southold in a cooler full of ice," is that both the original and new Montauk Monster are one and the same species.
Both seem to belong to Procyon lotor — otherwise known as the common North American raccoon. If you're not convinced, compare the video footage on Montauk-Monster.com with the photos of dead raccoons here, here and here.
• Click here to read more about Montauk Monster 2.0.
• Click here for more on the original Montauk Monster.
• Click here to visit FOXNews.com's Natural Science Center.
https://www.foxnews.com/story/new-montauk-monster-likely-same-species-as-old-one