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The oracle octopus, who became internationally known for successfully predicting a large portion of the 2010 World Cup, passed away Tuesday morning in his tank at Sea Life Centre, a German aquarium in Oberhausen.
Paul originally started his long life in the Sea Life Centre branch in Weymouth, England in early 2008. He was moved shortly after to the German Sea Life Centre and named after the title of a poem by Boy Lornsen, a German children’s writer. Paul lived for two and a half years.
The average lifespan of an octopus depends on its species. Since, Paul was part of the vulgaris species, known as the common octopus, whose life expectancy is normally around one to two years.
The process in which Paul predicted a winner was simple. The octopus would be presented with two clear plastic boxes, both of which were labeled with a team flag. These boxes would contain either a mussel or an oyster and depending on which box Paul would choose first, the team would be considered his prediction. Out of 14 career predictions, Germany, Paul’s home team, was involved in thirteen. The only match that didn’t involve Germany was the 2010 World Cup Final, the last prediction Paul made.
The psychic pundit began predicting matches during the UEFA Euro 2008 tournament, where he accurately selected four out of six of the German national team’s games. Paul’s real fame came during the 2010 World Cup when he correctly selected nine matches out of nine contests, including the final between the Netherlands and Spain. The octopus eventually was assigned his own personal agent, and after his triumphant prediction of the World Cup Final, he was given his very own replica of the trophy complete with mussels on top.
“El Pulpo Paul,” the nickname he was given by Spaniards, retired from making predictions in July 2010. The decision was made by Paul’s owners. Upon Paul’s death, the Sea Life Centre manager, Stefan Porwoll, stated the aquarium “may decide to give Paul his own small burial plot within our grounds, and erect a modest permanent shrine.”
Bangor Daily News