Dozens of Dazed, Huge Squid Wash Up On San Diego Beach After Earthquake (VIDEO)

San Diego residents were stunned when dozens of dazed giant squid washed up on La Jolla beach after an earthquake. One resident said she's never seen anything like this in 42 years. It's unclear whether it was the initial earthquake or the aftershock that jolted the huge squid onto the beach.

WATCH:

Comments

[MiHi]

04:52 PM on 07/16/2009

Giant Squids invade San Diego beaches just a few weeks before thousands of anime girl cosplayers arrive for Comic-Con.

Coincidence?

[FreidaPeeple]

07:56 AM on 07/16/2009

It's Sarah Palin's fault.

[charon]

08:56 PM on 07/15/2009

Grab those suckers and cook 'em up! Calamari is great!

[roooth]

08:47 PM on 07/15/2009

I meant to say maybe the earthquake disrupted their thermal habitat, and confused them to where they couldn't find their home.

The Indonesian earthquake that cause the tsunami a couple of years ago caused a huge collapse in the ocean floor around there. I wonder if there was a similar occurance with any sea life around there, although the depth of the sea floor at the epicenter would probably be determinative.

[TheWanderer]

08:10 PM on 07/15/2009

ok, how can you tell if a squid is dazed? It jut might not be an early riser or, if the squid is a female squid, it might be her special "ladies'" time.

[Shasta James]

12:56 AM on 07/16/2009

your quote is very funny!

[friscosf]

06:37 PM on 07/15/2009

Better register them as Republicans !

That's their ONLY chance of winning in Calfiornia

they'd also raise the IQ of the GOP !!!

[roooth]

08:27 PM on 07/15/2009

All squids everywhere are appalled at the thought!

[nswfm]

03:50 PM on 07/15/2009

On a more serious note, maybe the Navy testing sonar is the real culprit. Whales beach themselves when they test, from what I've read.

[FrankenPC]

04:55 PM on 07/15/2009

It's my understanding the military quit that experiment. The public outcry was pretty intense.

[Peter Miriani]

06:09 PM on 07/15/2009

Last I heard (NOV '08) was that the experiments were cleared by the courts:

http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2008/11/12/20081112sonar12-on.html

I took that to mean they were continuing.

[GoodwithWood]

08:27 PM on 07/15/2009

Is it possible that the Earthquake produced sonar waves down deep in the ocean?

[schminkey]

10:23 AM on 07/15/2009

The next morning I was swimming in the La Jolla Cove, like I have for 15 years. About halfway between the beach and the 1/4 mile marker there were 2 dolphins playing with a bunch of sea lions. There was a group of maybe 20 sea lions swimming together, heads bobbing up above the water. They were about 10 feet from me. I've never seen anything like this in that part of the cove. Wonder if there was any connection.

[inthelandoftheblind]

06:23 PM on 07/15/2009

"The next morning"...you were swimming/ saw sea lions & dolphins, etc... after which event - the earth quake, aftershocks, or the supposed lifting of ban on sonar testing, Nov'08? Just curious.

[TidalShadow]

03:23 AM on 07/15/2009

Judging by the size and shape of the squid, they are almost certainly Humboldt squid, but they seemed strangely docile. Humboldt squid are generally aggressive and have been known to attack fishing boats in groups. While it's not unusual to find them in fairly shallow water, the do not generally come in close enough to shore to wash up on the beach.

The squid probably were stunned by something, but I don't think an earthquake severe enough to effect the squid would have had no obvious impact on other ocean creatures. Due to the lack of data on Humboldt squid, it seems unlikely that there will be a definitive answer anytime soon.

[FrankenPC]

04:56 PM on 07/15/2009

I thought Humboldt were found in the colder waters of the pacific North.

[inthelandoftheblind]

06:25 PM on 07/15/2009

They may be ill - due to water pollution, more vulnerable to infection - as are all our doomed sea creatures.

[Paladin2]

02:10 AM on 07/15/2009

They must just be little baby giant quids. Or midget giant squids. Or am I being PC incorrect? In that case 'little people' giant squids.

[Paul Berry]

01:15 AM on 07/15/2009

dazed squids?

[sinnerQ]

12:51 AM on 07/15/2009

Not sure why people say they have never seen this, I was in College in SD in 1991 and saw the same thing happen. I don't remember there being an earthquake, but in SoCal its hard to remember a long stretch without one either.

[BannedInBoston]

11:42 PM on 07/14/2009

How do you tell if a squid is dazed?

[wanderingsalmon]

05:22 AM on 07/15/2009

Hold out two fingers and ask him how many tentacles does he see.

[nswfm]

03:47 PM on 07/15/2009

OK, that was the best comment I've read all day!

[inthelandoftheblind]

06:52 PM on 07/15/2009

Thanks for the genuinely giggle-worthy remark ...

This story is potentially worrisome.I was hovering between feeling saddened,then too, thinking - this may be just a common occurrence we rarely see.

They could have been stunned - due to a sudden change in water temps & depths - if chased from a very cold deep site. Are they a food source - of Killer whales or something else that hunts in an aggressive pursuit, scattering a few who escape?

So often, we're seeing the end of life on Earth scenario, creeping up on us... in small events ... one by one. They might have been defeated by infection - over time in a toxic area - or having fed on something which was poisoned or dying of infection(s).

Are the squid being studied? Haven't some of the stranded U.S. whales been studied, and some found to have infections? This would not necessarily point to the cause of the stranding of pods of whales & dolphins though.

I would think the sonar blasts could easily cause a blind stampede-like run to escape the painful & terrifying sounds. To their senses - these tests could be causing blind fear! But in this case, any current expert's thoughts?

[Kaviraj]

10:33 PM on 07/14/2009

Unbelievable, the inane comments on this thread. Typical American? I'd say so.

[Star2000dancer]

07:00 PM on 07/14/2009

I never understood people who could joke about a tragedy. Those kind of people scare me.