Who Is oracle Paul ?
He lives in the sea life aquarium in Oberhausen, Western Germany. Paul is also called the Oracle Octopus and has earned laurels for his ability to accurately predict the winners.
How Does He Predict ?
Paul is able to make his predictions, courtesy Oliver Walenciak, his safe keeper. Two clear plastic boxes containing food (usually mussels or oysters) are lowered down into the aquarium’s tank. The boxes have the flags of two countries attached to them. The container selected by the hungry octopus is assumed to be the predicted winner.
Octopus Paul
Where Is He From?
Paul was born in 2008 at Weymouth Sea Life Park in Dorset, England. According to Daniel Fey, spokesman of the park, anybody could instantly recognize Paul’s uniqueness and intelligence. “There was something about the way he looked at our visitors when they come close to the tank. It was so unusual, so we tried to find out what his special talents were,” he said.
What Has He Done So Far?
Paul was able to predict the winners of all the six matches that Germany played in the World Cup 2010. Paul could foresee Germany’s win over both Ghana & Australia. He stunned German fans when he presaged that their team would lose to Serbia. In the knockout stage, paul predicted Germany’s win over England & Argentina also. If only he could predict the scorers too.
An Intelligent Creature.
Octopuses are highly intelligent animals and have been proven to have a strong short & long term memory. Fiona smith, head of animal care at Weymouth sea life park, said, “Common Octopuses like Paul are very intelligent. We equate their intelligence with that of a dog & they love problem solving & figuring things oyt”.
He’s Big Celebrity.
The German news channel NTV has started to broadcast his predictions live, with two reporters situated next to his tank so they can bring their viewers the latest going on.
Death Threats.
Angry Argentinean fans blamed him for their team’s humiliating 0-4 loss to Germany, and threatened to eat the octopus to avenge his prediction. His keeper Walenciak is sure thet the octopus is safe in his aquarium tank. “He will survive,” insists Walenciak.
Twitter & FB Sensation.
Paul has become an online phenomenon in recent weeks. The phrases “Paul the Octopus” and “Pulpo”, the Spanish word for Octopus , are both currently in the top 10 global trends on Twitter.
