Strong winds might have blown sea cucumbers (Cucumaria miniata) up on to the beach, exposing them to the cold at low tide.
Luck was against these young cockles, which were likely washed up on to the beach during a storm and did not survive the cold air temperatures during low tide.
Hundreds upon hundreds of specimens known as "sea pickles" washed up on Monterey Bay beaches on Thursday. As explained by the Monterey Bay Aquarium, "Big waves and strong currents are pushing pyrosomes onto local beaches.
"I saw thousands of these on Drakes Beach on Dec. 6, after the recent storm. What happened?" David Ford
Interesting Marine Invertebrates
A winter storm lashed the sandy beaches at the mouth of the Ninilchik River with ferocious waves, powerful enough to uproot thousands of razor clams.
Observations From Members 