Humboldt Squid Beaching!

— They were having a terrible, no-good, very bad day in La Jolla, California. First there was a 4.0 magnitude earthquake centered 19 miles out in the ocean, then dozens of 3-to 4-foot long Humboldt squid weighing up to 40 lbs. washed ashore and flopped around, dazed and disoriented and probably appalled at California’s real estate prices…
…then to add to the eww factor, seagulls swooped in and started feeding on the squid! — How’s that rate on the grossness scale? This caused well-intentioned beachgoers to try and save the squid (gotta be a T-shirt slogan there!) by tossing them back in the sea, and we’re talking big, wet, slippery, heavy squid here! The squid were so loopy by this point that even when thrown back, they tended to wash ashore again. There’s no helping some cephalopods…they just don’t listen.
So a fun time was had by all, excepting, of course, the squid. Water temperature inversions rather than the earthquake could have been the cause of the beachings…calamari, anyone?
Tags: humboldt squid, squid beaching
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July 15, 2009 at 3:51 am
Respect the food chain, people. If the seagulls want to eat raw squid, I say…let ’em!
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July 15, 2009 at 10:40 pm
I think the scene must have been a rare mix of pathos and comedy…also a great opportunity for a squid fight!
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July 16, 2009 at 9:12 pm
And, Garry “the Farsider” Larson could have sketched the battle!
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