THE CARCASS FROM THE DEEP. THE BEACHFRONT ENIGMA. THE THING THAT SHOULD NOT BE.

In the summer of 2008, a bloated, beaked corpse washed up on a Montauk beach — hairless, clawed, and definitely not from any marine biology textbook. The internet called it the Montauk Monster. Locals called it terrifying. And no one ever really explained it.

Some said raccoon. Some said hoax. But then came whispers of the nearby Plum Island Animal Disease Center — a restricted, government-run facility just offshore. Add a bizarre creature with no clear origin, and suddenly the “monster” part didn’t sound so far-fetched.

The body vanished. Official statements didn’t match. And sightings of other strange carcasses — and stranger creatures — continued along the northeastern coast. Whether a genetic experiment gone wrong or something pulled from deeper waters, the Montauk Monster left one thing behind: questions no one’s answering.

It washed up once. What else hasn’t made it to shore?