TORONTO -­ Questions about a mysterious foot-long creature pulled from a northern Ontario creek will likely go unanswered now that its body has gone missing.

Darryl Sainnawap, a band councillor in the First Nations community of Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug, near the shores of Hudson Bay, said the body of the creature is no longer at the side of the creek where it was left after photos were taken of it earlier this month.

The photos of the hairy creature - with a bald face and paws, glazed eyes, warthog-like mouth, and a rat's tail - were posted on the community's website and have since gone viral.

According to the website, a dog that was walking with its owners - a pair of nurses who work for the federal government - pulled the animal from an area creek.

"It was already dead a while when those photos were taken, so it was just left there," Sainnawap said. "I guess the dogs or seagulls got at it. Or it just washed away." The nurse who took the photos wouldn't talk to media. He said he's a government employee and not allowed to discuss it.

The animal is being linked to mythological creatures like the Loch Ness Monster and Ogopogo, though many observers have already guessed it's more likely a waterlogged bear cub or otter.

The story of the creature has become the subject of blogs from Australia to South America and has been featured in newspapers from China to the U.K., with headlines such as the U.K. Sun's "The creature from the deep."

According to the residents of the community, this isn't the first sighting of such a creature. In fact, the people in the area call the legendary creature "omagimaakos" - or "the ugly one." Sainnawap says his great-uncle came across a similar animal in the 1950s.

"It's very rare. It lives in creeks and swampy areas and is said to feed on beavers," Sainnawap said.

With the media attention on the community - but no body to show for it - some residents tried to find another omagimaakos this week. Boaters took to the waterways with nets and bait, but came back empty-handed.

According to legend, their lack of success might be for the best.

"My great-uncle was told by his grandfather that a sighting of the omagimaakos is an omen that bad things will happen," Sainnawap said.

"So we'll have to see about that."