He probably saw it coming. But for fans of Paul the psychic octopus, the news of his sudden death yesterday was a shock.
The British-born oracle, who dazzled the world with his accurate World Cup predictions over the summer, passed away peacefully in his tank in Germany.
His owners – who turned down lucrative offers for the octopus from zoos and restaurants around the world – say he died of natural causes, and that there was nothing fishy about his end.
Paul passed away in the night aged two and a half years, when all three of his hearts ceased to beat at once.
He was unmarried and leaves no larvae.
‘Management and staff of the Oberhausen Sea Life Aquarium were devastated when Paul was found dead,’ the centre said in a statement.
‘We will erect a monument to the little brown octopus whose astounding predictive powers turned him into the true star of the tournament.’
The unlikely celebrity was one of the few bright spots in a bleak summer of World Cup football for England fans.
He correctly predicted Germany’s results throughout the championship by selecting mussels from boxes draped in the colours of teams about to meet on the pitch in South Africa.
He also correctly forecast the result of the final between Holland and Spain. The odds of him getting all eight predictions right were one in 256 – but he succeeded. After his summer triumph he was appointed ambassador for England’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup. He spent his last few months in retirement, feasting on clams and mussels.
The British-born oracle, who dazzled the world with his accurate World Cup predictions over the summer, passed away peacefully in his tank in Germany.
His owners – who turned down lucrative offers for the octopus from zoos and restaurants around the world – say he died of natural causes, and that there was nothing fishy about his end.
Paul correctly predicted the results of six World Cup games involving Germany, including the final when he went for Spain
He was unmarried and leaves no larvae.
‘Management and staff of the Oberhausen Sea Life Aquarium were devastated when Paul was found dead,’ the centre said in a statement.
‘We will erect a monument to the little brown octopus whose astounding predictive powers turned him into the true star of the tournament.’
The unlikely celebrity was one of the few bright spots in a bleak summer of World Cup football for England fans.
He correctly predicted Germany’s results throughout the championship by selecting mussels from boxes draped in the colours of teams about to meet on the pitch in South Africa.
He also correctly forecast the result of the final between Holland and Spain. The odds of him getting all eight predictions right were one in 256 – but he succeeded. After his summer triumph he was appointed ambassador for England’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup. He spent his last few months in retirement, feasting on clams and mussels.
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