Humboldt squid spotted in Monterey Bay

The Humboldt Squid, a large, pugnacious predator, has shown up in local waters, reports the Santa Cruz Sentinel.

A mysterious sea creature, up to 7 feet long, weighing up to 100 pounds, with thousands of sharp barbs on its arms. It hunts in packs of hundreds, flying through the water at 25 mph, changing color.

With a parrot-like beak and strong arms, it attacks and tries to eat nearly anything it sees, including fish, scuba divers, even its own kind.

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Tom Mattusch, of El Granada, runs recreational fishing trips on his 53-foot charter boat, the Huli Cat, based in Half Moon Bay.

"This is like the creature from the black lagoon. They are very strange looking," he said with a chuckle. "Nobody here has ever caught anything like this.

The story suggests that the appearance of the squid, which are native to the ocean off South America, is an indication that their natural predators (such as large tuna, marlins and swordfish) have been reduced by fishing.