Otto the octopus wreaks havoc

[Frankie]

Staff believe that the octopus called Otto had been annoyed by the bright light shining into his aquarium and had discovered he could extinguish it by climbing onto the rim of his tank and squirting a jet of water in its direction.
The short-circuit had baffled electricians as well as staff at the Sea Star Aquarium in Coburg, Germany, who decided to take shifts sleeping on the floor to find out what caused the mysterious blackouts.
A spokesman said: "It was a serious matter because it shorted the electricity supply to the whole aquarium that threatened the lives of the other animals when water pumps ceased to work.
"It was on the third night that we found out that the octopus Otto was responsible for the chaos.
"We knew that he was bored as the aquarium is closed for winter, and at two feet, seven inches Otto had discovered he was big enough to swing onto the edge of his tank and shoot out a the 2000 Watt spot light above him with a carefully directed jet of water."
Director Elfriede Kummer who witnessed the act said: "We've put the light a bit higher now so he shouldn't be able to reach it. But Otto is constantly craving for attention and always comes up with new stunts so we have realized we will have to keep more careful eye on him - and also perhaps give him a few more toys to play with.
"Once we saw him juggling the hermit crabs in his tank, another time he threw stones against the glass damaging it. And from time to time he completely re-arranges his tank to make it suit his own taste better - much to the distress of his fellow tank inhabitants."



Thanks to Seafansar for providing us with this great story!

[Woodstock]

Wowzer! They're really smart animals!

[cbrownfish]

HA! Crazy animal. If the Octo only knew that he is playing with his own life!

[Frankie]

I really need to try my hand at an octo one day. They are such cool creatures. Just don't know how I would handle the short life span.

[stonedfish]

I had one that I caught. It was an awsome creature. I agree, by the time you get to know them they die. Really a fun animal to watch. You can almost see what they are thinking.

[Dentoid]

That's extraordinary!

[BigJay]

they are crazy smart. I'd be heart broken find it dead on the floor which is invariably how most end up. Only takes 1 time of not closing the lid all the way or forgetting to put all the weights back on the lid and its over.
I did see a pretty cool acrylic tank not too long ago that had a fitted lid just for octopus.
Nautilus , octopus or cuttle fish would all be a neat specimen tank to have. I couldn't imagine getting a front row seat to the intellegence these animals display 24/7. Way cool.

[JBmynes]

Otto=Awesome!!!

[Octoman]

Otto is quite the trouble maker!! Maybe too smart for his own good...

I loved my little octo, it was an amazing creature to watch. I could sit for hours and watch it change its camouflage, and you can see the intelligence behind those eyes...

[DVNO]

what is the typical lifespan of an octo?

[Frankie]

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Octopuses have a relatively short life expectancy, and some species live for as little as six months. Larger species, such as the North Pacific Giant Octopus, may live for up to five years under suitable circumstances. However, reproduction is a cause of death: males can only live for a few months after mating, and females die shortly after their eggs hatch. They neglect to eat during the (roughly) one month period spent taking care of their unhatched eggs, but they don't die of starvation. Endocrine secretions from the two optic glands are the cause of genetically-programmed death (and if these glands are surgically removed, the octopus may live many months beyond reproduction, until she finally starves).