Paul the Octopus, Germany
Octopi are rated to be highly intelligent than most other invertebrates, but can that be a reason as to how Paul, the Octopus, makes correct choices between the countries? Paul, the octopus, became a global sensation with his accurate match predictions during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Considering some of the facts and features of Octopus it is difficult to determine how Paul could do the predictions.
Paul had unusual talent for unscrewing jar lids, suggesting both strong physical and psychic abilities for an octopus. He lived in Sea Life Oberhausen in Germany
Characteristics of Octopus
- Octopi are deaf; therefore definitely Paul is not following anybody’s orders. Almost on its self will, it chooses to settle down with the country of its choice.
- Octopi have three hearts; probably that is why Paul’s heart beats for other countries too, other than Germany.
- Nothing is known about its color blindness or its color sensitiveness, Paul can therefore be not accused of being attracted to a certain color or pattern in flags.
Paul the Octopus
Predictive abilities of an octopus named Paul. He nicknamed the “octopus oracle” for this
- During Euro 2008 he successfully predicted the outcomes of four out of six matches by selecting a mussel from boxes representing the German flag and the opponent’s flag.
- During the 2010 World Cup, Paul correctly predicted the outcome of all of Germany’s matches, going 8-0 in his predictions.
- His predictions included Germany’s quarterfinal victory over Argentina and Spain’s win over the Netherlands in the World Cup final.
Whatever, Paul has given us so much to talk about in the final days of FIFA, the laughter that it brought us, not taking all these seriously I would like to wish, may the best team win.
In the UK, cephalopods such as octopuses are regarded as honorary vertebrates under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 and other cruelty to animals legislation, extending to them protections not normally afforded to invertebrates. So if anybody has plans to slice it up and fry and gobble it up, they will have to rethink.
Sadly, Paul the Octopus passed away on 26th October 2010. Octopus are known to have very short life span. Some species live for max 5 years. Unfortunately Paul survived only for 2 years and 9 months (26 Jan 2008 to 26 Oct 2010).
The Oberhausen aquarium erected a memorial of the psychic octopus with a golden urn containing his ashes.
Psychic Animals make Predictions
Several psychic animals gained popularity during and after the FIFA World Cup. Notable among them are:
- Paul the Octopus, who became famous for accurately predicting the outcomes of several matches in the 2010 World Cup
- Taiyo the Otter, who was touted as the successor to Paul
- Mani the Parakeet – had the ability to predict football match outcomes. He accurately predicted all four quarter-final results by selecting cards. But he called the semi-final wrong and in the final he plumped for the Netherlands over Spain, which Paul the Octopus did correctly.
- Achilles, a white deaf cat – the official tournament feline forecaster of the Golden Boot in 2018
- Olivia the grey Parrot
- Oobi-Ooobi the Koala
- Kent the Gibbon and more…
What is an octopus bet in football?
An octopus bet in football refers to a specific statistical event that occurs in an NFL (National Football League) game. It takes place when a player successfully scores a touchdown and immediately follows it up with a 2-point conversion. According to the Action Network, there have been a total of 168 octopus occurrences in NFL history as of 2022. This count includes instances since the introduction of the 2-point conversion rule in 1994.
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It was fun remembering about Paul. I remember those FIFA days and how Paul swept the air waves.
Very interesting octopus information.
Paul is a much better predictor that Phil.
Wish Paul lost the cup… I am confused now 🙂
the 3 hearts may have all the secret..
Very informative and fantastic shots
LOL! That was topical !
Our poor friend, Paul/Pablo, was only trying to get the tastier looking morsel,the pattern on the box be damned ! but the crazy humans had to get maniacal everytime he had his tiffin ! I doubt the intelligent cephalopod has any flattering opinion about humankind !
hahah loved this one on the very famous Paul!
Very interesting info.
This was such an interesting post, even though I have no idea who Paul is (I should be embarrassed to admit that, I think). But the photos are wonderful and I learned a lot about the octopi in the ocean 🙂 Thanks!!
Paul will have to eat humble pie soon. Holland all the way. 🙂
That's very interesting post about octopus, the photo looks interestinf especially the second photo.
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Your second photo is amazing with those lovely colors.
I personally hope never to meet such an intelligent invertebrates.
Have a great weekend!
I've had to laugh at people taking Paul seriously…
Love that last shot!
honorary vertebrates? I have never heard of that–how interesting!
:). Beautiful captures.
Happy weekend.
Hurray for World Cup and Paul!
Cool photos and an interesting post and info on the octopus.
Fun post. I heard about the octopus picking the winners! Smart guy!!!!! Love the second shot.
nice one! and a well timed one too!
Beautiful photos!!
Hugs
SueAnn
Nice post. Never imagined an octopus making the headlines.
Never imagined that so much focus would be on an octopus for a world cup.
Nice shots and great Insights Indrani!
I want Paul or should I say Pablo to be right this time too as I am rooting for Spain 🙂
It is so interesting, I like a lot all information about this cute octopus, thanks a lot!I'm enchanted by the detail picture (second shot).
And a beautiful weekend for you!
purrs and love
Luna – We love Luna
The second shot is beautiful and bang on time too.