Montauk Monster - a hoax??

So the story goes that some dog/bird/rat like creature washed up on some beach in Montauk a couple of days ago. Here is a picture of the "monster" in question:

Personally, it looks like a fake to me, but you be the judge. Also, I don't see any reference to Montauk in the picture. This sand could be on any beach. Could this somehow be some PR stunt by a newly opened restaurant on Edgemere? hmmm...

I will say this, if it washed up next to my feet while I was surf fishing in the pre-dawn hours, I might have been a little rattled :-)

Let me know what you think about this story.

Capt. Kevin Shea