Paul the Octopus
Paul in his tank, next to a football boot with the German flag colours
Other appellation(s)	"Paul" Oktopus Paul die Krake Pulpo Paul
Species	Octopus vulgaris
Sex	Male
Born	January 2008 Weymouth, England, or in the waters off Elba, Tuscany, Italy
Died	26 October 2010 (aged 2) Oberhausen, Germany
Occupation	Exhibit Psychic Football Pundit 2008–2010
Known for	Preselecting boxes corresponding with the winners of Germany's football matches
Owner	Sea Life Centres (aquarium keeper: Oliver Walenciak)
Named after	A poem by Boy Lornsen, Der Tintenfisch Paul Oktopus

Paul the Octopus (reportedly hatched January 2008; died 26 October 2010)^[1][2] was a common octopus from Weymouth, England, who lived in a tank at a Sea Life Centre in Oberhausen, Germany.^[3] Paul became internationally famous for correctly predicting the winner of each of Germany's seven matches at the 2010 World Cup, as well as the final.

Paul's selections were designed so that he was presented with two boxes containing food in the form of a mussel, each box marked on the outside with the flag of a national football team in an upcoming match. His choice of which mussel to eat first was taken as indicating his prediction of a win for the country whose flag was on that box. These selections were correct in four of Germany's six Euro 2008 matches, and in all seven of their matches in the 2010 World Cup. He also correctly selected a win for Spain against the Netherlands in the World Cup Final on 11 July by eating the mussel in the box with the Spanish flag on it.^[4] His "predictions" were 100% (8/8) correct for the 2010 World Cup and 86% (12/14) correct overall. However, the keeper at the aquarium states that Paul was not the same octopus that predicted the results for the 2008 UEFA European Football Championships.^[5] Paul was retired after the 2010 FIFA World Cup and died soon after.