No one knows why dozens of jumbo squid washed up on a southern California beach on Saturday, although an earthquake occurred in the area about an hour earlier. Still, experts don’t know if there’s a link between the ‘quake and the beached squid.
The conundrum has puzzled the area’s residents, including one woman who said she’d never seen anything like it in the 42 years she’d lived in the area. The jumbo squid do venture into shallower depths at night, according to LiveScience:
During the day, the somewhat mysterious jumbo squid are known to descend to lower depths in the ocean to rest, slowing down their metabolism to deal with the lower oxygen levels there. At night, they return to well-oxygenated waters nearer the surface to feed.
Beachgoers tried to throw back the squid, which measured up to four feet long, before seagulls could feast on them. But for many of the marine creatures, the attempt was futile.
Check out this video of the stranded squid:
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July 13th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
LiveScience says they were jumbo squid, not giant squid.
July 13th, 2009 at 6:55 pm
I hope someone breaks the news gently to PZ Myers.
July 13th, 2009 at 10:52 pm
they look like humbolts-that would be about the right area
July 14th, 2009 at 12:10 am
Had that been in Asia there would be no signs of them as soon as they got there! Dinner!
July 14th, 2009 at 8:20 am
The quake probably released gases that the squid couldn’t handle. What a truly puzzling conundrum.
July 14th, 2009 at 8:22 am
Wow, that is very sad dude! Sad inded!
RT
http://www.anonymize.us.tc
July 14th, 2009 at 8:33 am
Docenas de calamares gigantes acaban en una playa de california [ENG]
Nadie sabe por que docenas de calamares gigantes aparecieron en una playa del sur de California este Sabado, aunque hubo un terremoto en el area una hora antes, los expertos no saben si puede haber una conexión entre ambos hechos. Incluye video.
July 14th, 2009 at 9:07 am
They threw them back? That was pretty nice of them as I wouldn’t have touched one.
July 14th, 2009 at 9:27 am
Now the Nautilus will be safer. Just kidding, this is awful. Why did they try to throw them back? Because they smelled or because they still had signs of life?
July 14th, 2009 at 9:46 am
[...] Discover Share and [...]
July 14th, 2009 at 10:02 am
Hi, this is Allison, the author of the post. The Sine, the term “giant squid” was meant only to convey the sheer size of the creatures (they can, after all, measure up to seven feet long), not a technical or species name. But to avoid confusion, we’ve changed the title of the post.
July 14th, 2009 at 10:57 am
Yum! This would taste great grilled with oyster sauce, garlic, onions, tomatoes and ginger. Not to mention beer!
July 14th, 2009 at 11:04 am
They sure look like Humbolt squid which are quite common. They are known as voracious predators and can be quite dangerous.
July 14th, 2009 at 11:28 am
Humbolt squid are invading! The warming waters are thought to be the cause and as they migrate out of the Sea of Cortez they are decimating fish species in large numbers. They are thought to hunt in packs and communicate by flashing the color of their bodies. Hopefully something will keep them in check or say goodbye to many of your favorite fish dishes.
July 14th, 2009 at 12:20 pm
I would say commercial fishing practices has a much greater impact on fish stocks than squid.
July 14th, 2009 at 3:00 pm
Kinda sad that all these animals will just rot and be wasted. Stupid morons trying to prevent nature from happening naturally.
July 14th, 2009 at 3:49 pm
I live a mile from this… yes humbolt squid. They are always around but last time they washed up in mass was about 4-5 years ago with no earthquake. These guys have beaks! and are effecting the divers. ouch!
July 14th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
@ CGeers…
Of course, let’s everyone blame it on “global warming” Of course there couldn’t be a more logical explanation or maybe even a scientific reason for them beaching themselves
@ Gonzobot…
I agree. If these squid are so dead-set on beaching themselves, I say let’s throw some logs on the beach, light ‘em up and let’s gorge ourselves on some squid. Completely idiotic to let perfectly good squid to rot.
July 14th, 2009 at 6:31 pm
Allison says:
>> the term “giant squid” was meant only to convey the sheer size of the creatures (they can, after all, measure up to seven feet long), not a technical or species name.
Sorry about that. Geeks hate it when you get their obsession wrong.
July 15th, 2009 at 2:03 am
[...] Dozens of Jumbo Squid Wash Up On California Beach (tags: Animals Squid) [...]
July 15th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
What beach?! Surely that is important information!
July 15th, 2009 at 10:34 pm
earthquake or nuclear weapon test????
July 16th, 2009 at 8:46 am
I suspect overfishing of the oceans is as much to blame as global warming is for the Humbolt’s changing distribution. Taking out as many fish as we do opens up the food chain to competing species in the similar niches such as certain jellyfish and cephalopods.
July 16th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
[...] More information. AKPC_IDS += “2797,”;Popularity: 1% [?]SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: “Large Squid Washed Up On A California Beach After An Earthquake.”, url: “http://www.beercanhill.com/?p=2797″ }); [...]
February 3rd, 2010 at 8:23 pm
Lol @ Allison Bond, way to not own up to a minor naming error and move on… Wouldn’t matter if this wasn’t Discover magazine. In your defense, local fishermen here are openly referring to them by multiple incorrect names, so the buzz is misleading. Concensus trap, wiki-syndrome.
-I’m pretty sure I would have eaten those “presents” deposited on shore. Earthquake consolation prize… I’ve hand-caught flounder at the waterline in florida during storms that way.
-Safer not to, they could have been diseased, but the deep fryer beckons.
To anyone who wants to swim with them, jumbo squid are in fact dangerous, the beak/mouth/ is very strong, and if you are close enough to care, chances are the squid is already mildly irritated with you. I can’t imagine the kind of infection you could get from a squid bite.