In July of 2008, a group of friends were walking along Ditch Plains Beach near the business district of Montauk, New York. They were looking for a nice place to sit and hang out for a bit, when they noticed some people closely inspecting something on the beach. Curiosity got the better of them and they, too, went to see what was causing such a stir.

What they saw was the first of what become a phenomenon in the area. A legend involving a mysterious creature; the Montauk Monster. One of them was lucky enough to have her camera with her and she snapped a photo that would soon become widespread, making the creature famous. It showed the bloated corpse of an animal with four legs, the front two look almost like they had claws or talons. Its head appears to have pointed ears, similar to that of a dog. But where it’s muzzle would be is instead, seemingly; a beak.

Many theories have been tossed around about what this mysterious creature actually was, but all of them are merely speculation. Some suggested it might be a turtle without it’s shell. While turtles may be portrayed going in and out of their shells, it’s actually not feasible since a turtle’s spine is fused to its shell. It was thought to be a raccoon with its top jaw missing, or possibly a dog. Many blamed the animal testing facility nearby for discarding a failed experiment. One person even claimed that he and his buddies created it when they found a dead raccoon and sent it off on a funeral pyre made of a plastic kids floaty. Unfortunately, the carcass is said to have mysteriously disappeared before any conclusion could be made. All that remains are a photo and eyewitness accounts.

After the story and photo of this strange beast became well-known, more of them started turning up. Pictures of similar-looking creatures started surfacing on different beaches not far from where the first was found. None of those bodies were ever recovered either. So we have a strange phenomenon of a mysterious creature who apparently can only be photographed.

My favorite theory that I ran across was one where someone posted a picture showing a statue of a griffin, stating something along the lines of, “I found the Montauk Monster.” If you’re open to the idea that anything is possible, then this theory might actually fit.

(image:drakoniimirok/flickr)
Griffin

A griffin is a mythological creature depicted as having the body of a lion and the head of an eagle. Most often they are shown as having wings, but it’s thought that the males might be wingless. Being a combination of the King of Beasts and the King of Birds, has them known for their strength and intelligence. Truly a king of all creatures.

If this mysterious animal was once a griffin, then what happened to him? It’s believed that the claws of a griffin have medicinal properties and that their feathers can make a blind person see. This could definitely account for the missing corpses.

Another popular belief is that griffins are the great guardians of valuable treasures. Maybe New York holds a secret in the form of a great hidden treasure. A secret so great that mythical beasts are set to guard it. Or maybe the Montauk Monster is all made up and it never really existed at all.

Information From:

http://www.montauk-monster.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montauk_Monster

http://mythology.wikia.com/wiki/Griffin