'Montauk Monster' A Viral Stunt?

Gawker is following the "Montauk Monster" story involving some freakish monster which seemingly washed ashore and has Gawker surmising it's a marketing stunt. The thing looks like a pig/dog/bird/chicken thing and, according to a FOX news report featuring Animal Planet's Jeff Corwin who thinks it's just a decomposed dog or raccoon. Gawker also did some photoshop analysis and the photo, itself is fake.

The story's got everything. Accusations Gawker invented it. A 22 year old waiter who claims he saw the "monster." A tipster who told New York Magazine, "My girlfriend's sister was there with her friends and one of them took the picture." It's a turtle without its shell! It's an alien! It's a viral marketing campaign for Cartoon Network. Ooo...hey, those guys have done that shit before.

Anyway, it's just a stupid stunt from some dweeb who's now laughing at the news media for giving it all this coverage.