When a beastly looking carcass washed ashore on New York’s East River several days ago, it quickly grabbed the attention of locals.  The strange animal, pictured below, was discovered by resident Denise Ginley as it lay dead on the sand near the Brooklyn Bridge.  Hairless, bloated, and looking like it had a rough time on the high seas, the creature inevitably brought back memories of the famed “Montauk Monster,” a similar beast found on a beach near Montauk, New York in July 2008.

Even though speculation still runs rampant, the so-called Montauk Monster turned out to be a bloated raccoon carcass.  The “Beast of Brooklyn Bridge,” however, doesn’t appear to be a raccoon.  Original conjecture pegged the beast as a cooked pig, but experts – including Jeremy Wade of River Monsters fame (RM #122) – have ruled that out.  According to Gothamist, who first published the photos, Cornell University’s naturalist professor Paul Curtis speculated that “this was likely a small dog that drowned and has been floating in the river for quite a while.”

Whatever the case, I’m sure the beast’s legend will continue to grow as wild theories of government science experiments gone awry and dog-beasts from outer space start to propagate the Internet.  Or perhaps it’s just a common Chupacabra who left Texas in search of some New York nightlife.  With the heat here in Texas, who could blame the poor little monster for trying!