R.I.P: Paul, The World Cup's Psychic Octopus

REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay

NewsFeed is sad to announce that Paul, the famous psychic octopus who shot to fame after predicting the outcomes of World Cup this summer, died Tuesday.  He lived just two and a half years.
After passing away peacefully during the night of natural causes, Paul will be remembered for predicting the winners of all Germany's World Cup clashes, and then the final by selecting Spain over the Netherlands. Just before each game, the Octopus would choose one of two boxes, each loaded with a mussel food treat and marked on the outside with one of the teams. (He also made an enemy in Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.)
Staff at the aquarium center where he lived said his death was not entirely unexpected, since common octopuses generally only live a few years. Paul's body is now in cold storage while the aquarium decides "how best to mark his passing."  "We may decide to give Paul his own small burial plot within our grounds and erect a modest permanent shrine," said Stephan Porwell, manager of the Oberhausen Sea Life Centre in Germany. (See the Top 10 World Cup Moments.)
However, Paul's fans need not despair–his aquarium is said to be grooming a successor, also to be named Paul. (Even though, chances are, he won't be psychic.) And on a commercial note, the iconic octopus lives on in iPhone apps and clothing lines devoted to his soothsaying ways.  NewsFeed salutes you, Paul. May you predict World Cup outcomes in octopus heaven.  (Via Press Association)

Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2010/10/26/r-i-p-paul-the-world-cup-psychic-octopus/#ixzz13UK9OO5a