Someone ready a deep-fryer and aioli. Hundreds of dead Humboldt squid washed up on beaches Sunday along Rio Del Mar in Santa Cruz County, according to the Santa Cruz Patch. There is no immediate explanation for why so many of the large invertebrates would die suddenly and in this location. Humboldt squid have not been native to the Monterey Bay area for very long. The squid have been seen further north - which can be confusing for some, since the squid are named for Humboldt Bay, where they can also be found - since the 1997 El Nino event, according to the Patch, and apparently like the Monterey Bay area for its plentiful food.

The squid grow to as big as four feet long thanks in part to the bounty of fish in the Monterey Bay - itself a notable area for the deep Monterey Canyon just offshore. Squid have washed up on California beaches before. In 2009, dead squid were found in the sand after an earthquake.