Paul the Octopus

With reference to his/its biography....

Paul the Octopus (hatched January 2008) is a common octopus living in a tank at a Sea Life Centre in Oberhausen, Germany, who is used as an animal oracle to predict the results of football matches, usually international matches in which Germany is playing. He came to worldwide attention with his accurate predictions in the 2010 World Cup.

During a divination, Paul is presented with two boxes containing food, each marked with the flag of a national football team in an upcoming match. He chose the box with the flag of the winning team in several of Germany's six Euro 2008 matches, and in all seven of their matches in the 2010 World Cup—with Germany's third place playoff win over Uruguay on 10 July, his success rate rose to 85 percent, with 11 out of 13 matches correctly predicted. He has predicted a win for Spain against the Netherlands in the World Cup final on 11 July by eating the mussel in the box with the Spanish flag on it.

Life of the octopus

Paul was hatched from an egg at the Sea Life Centre in Weymouth, England, then moved to a tank at one of the chain's centres in Oberhausen, Germany. His name derives from the title of a poem by the German children's writer Boy Lornsen: Der Tintenfisch Paul Oktopus.

According to Sea Life's entertainment director, Daniel Fey, Paul demonstrated intelligence early in life:

There was something about the way he looked at our visitors when they came close to the tank. It was so unusual, so we tried to find out what his special talents were.The animal rights organisation PETA commented that octopuses are some of the most intelligent of invertebrates, with complex thought processes, long, and short-term memories, and different personalities. They can use tools, learn through observation, and are particularly sensitive to pain, according to the group. They say it would be cruel to keep Paul in permanent confinement. Sea Life Centres responded that it would be dangerous to release him, because he was born in captivity, and is not accustomed to finding food for himself.

The octopus's amazing prediction....

There are always people who want to eat our octopus but he is not shy and we are here to protect him as well. He will survive.
—Oliver Walenciak (Paul's keeper)
Paul correctly predicted the outcome of the semi-final, by choosing the food in the box marked with the Spanish flag. German supporters drew hope from his incorrect choice for the Germany versus Spain match in the UEFA Euro 2008 but were disappointed. The prediction led to death threats as German fans called for Paul to be cooked and eaten. In response, Spanish prime minister Jose Zapatero jokingly offered to send Paul official state protection, and the Industry Minister Miguel Sebastian called for Paul to be given safe haven in Spain.