Psychic Octopus Paul Dies Peacefully In His Sleep
Paul the octopus, who shot to fame predicting the results of World Cup football matches in South Africa has passed away.
He is said to have died peacefully in his tank at the Oberhausen Sea Life Centre in Germany.
The eight-armed 'psychic' correctly predicted the winners of all Germany's World Cup clashes, and then the final.
He did it by selecting one of two boxes, each loaded with a mussel food treat and marked on the outside with one of the teams.
Sea life centre manager Stefan Porwoll said: "His success made him almost a bigger story than the World Cup itself."
Staff said there was nothing fishy about Paul's death as common octopuses generally only live a couple of years.
"He appears to have passed away peacefully during the night of natural causes," said Mr Porwoll.
He added: "We are consoled by the knowledge that he enjoyed a good life here.
"We may decide to give Paul his own small burial plot within our grounds and erect a modest permanent shrine."
Happily, Paul will live on through commercial enterprises ranging from special clothing lines to mobile phone applications.
He will also feature in a documentary to be released early next year.
Posted on Tue 26th Oct 2010 15:26:43