How old is paul the octopus

Threats from disappointed German and Dutch soccer fans can be found on the Internet under "Octopus Paul, we know where your tank is. A video on YouTube showed brutal scenes from Chinese restaurants, where live octopuses were tossed into a boiling liquid. But none of that really matters to cuddly Paul in his Oberhausen aquarium. Sea Life arranged for 24 hour 'security' for the animal, successfully fending off any cowardly attacks. Now that the World Cup is over, the hoopla has died down somewhat.

Which is a good thing. After all, Paul is two-and-a-half years old, a respectable age for an octopus.

He needs his rest. As a matter of fact, Paul might not be around much longer. While Sea Life wants to make sure he is content until he dies, Paul's fans don't want him to retire. The aquarium receives hundreds of emails every day with oracle questions for the mollusk. Questions like: "How long will Merkel's coalition last? So, in the end, the soothsaying octopus can peacefully swim through his tank toward that eternal resting place under water.

A generous offer from Spain is not likely to change his fate. They want him to perform, though not as an oracle but as a mascot for a food festival with plenty of octopus specialties on the menu.

Evil be to him who evil thinks But Sea Life in Oberhausen won't be swayed by the tempting offer. Oberhausen is where Paul will stay, where it's clear this octopus is not going to end up in a paella. Paul the psychic octopus has provided German fans with a bit of solace, picking Germany to win its third-place match against Uruguay. In the finals, Paul went with Spain, which he picked to beat Germany in the semis. Spain's political leaders are worried about the safety of the oracle octopus who correctly predicted Germany's defeat to Spain in the World Cup semifinals, as Germans demand a public roasting.

An octopus famed for his skill at predicting winners of World Cup soccer matches has selected Spain to beat Germany in Wednesday's semifinal.

German fans will be hoping this is Paul the octopus' first wrong prediction. Visit the new DW website Take a look at the beta version of dw. Go to the new dw. The eight-tentacled cephalopod oracle died of natural causes, the aquarium where he lived said Tuesday. He was 2 and a half. Paul enthralled millions of people around the world by correctly predicting the outcome of several World Cup matches this year.

The life and times of Paul the Octopus in images. His caretakers set him up to make predictions for a particular match by draping boxes in his tank with the national flags of teams that were set to play each other. The boxes contained octopus food. He became an instant hero in Spain, prompting a request to have him put on display at Madrid zoo. Amid the euphoria, he was even made an honorary citizen of a Spanish town before being made an ambassador for England's World Cup bid.

The Oberhausen centre said he had seemed fine when last checked on Monday night but was found dead on Tuesday morning. The prophetic cephalopod's brief but extraordinary life is unlikely to be forgotten. A documentary has been filmed, and books and toys are already planned for the Christmas market. Paul was rather special but we managed to film Paul before he left this mortal earth," said his agent, Chris Davies.

A memorial is to be erected at the aquarium in his memory. What are the chances Paul the octopus is right?