A psychic octopus???

Now I've heard everything! The BBC reports:

An octopus in a German aquarium who is said to be psychic has predicted the country's football team will knock England out of the World Cup.

When consulted, Paul the octopus chose a mussel from a jar with the German flag on it ahead of one in a similar jar bearing the cross of St George.

The two-year-old cephalopod has a record of predicting past German results in this manner, his owners say.

Paul has so far correctly predicted all of Germany's results in South Africa.

His keepers say he correctly predicted 80% of Germany's results during the 2008 European Championship.

. . .

The octopus, who was born in the UK and was moved to the German aquarium, has become a national celebrity after correctly predicting Germany would beat Australia in their opening match, then lose to Serbia, and then beat Ghana.

His latest prediction was flashed all over the German media.

The container that Paul opens first is said to be his pick for who will win the impending match, keepers say.

There's more at the link.

Here's a video report from Sky News, showing the octopus at work. It may be a bit slow to load, but your patience will be rewarded.

A psychic octopus? Perhaps it's time to update the historical tradition of psychic and occult symbols, and replace the pentacle with a tentacle!



Peter