'Montauk Monster' identified

According to CNN, the ‘Montauk Monster’, discussed in this thread, is a raccoon.

Wolf Blitzer says that some guys have come forward and said that they found a dead raccoon and decided to give it a Viking funeral. They put the raccoon into a hollowed-out watermelon, put the package in a wading ring, lit it on fire, and sent it out to sea.

How did they connect the raccon they sent out to sea with the one that washed up in Montauk?

Is there a cite for the claim that it’s a raccoon? The Gawker article talks about it NOT being a raccoon.

ETA: According to this article, the claim seems dubious.