NAPIER, NEW ZEALAND — An octopus residing at the National Aquarium of New Zealand made a daring escape from its tank to the Pacific Ocean.
After saying goodbye to his fellow octopus tankmate, Inky the Octopus decided to go on a journey of solitude.
He slipped through a tiny gap left open by maintenance workers at the top of the tank and travelled three to four metres across the aquarium floor, leaving behind a trail of suction cup prints.
Sensing freedom from a small drainpipe, Inky squeezed his body and legs into it .and crawled 50 metres through the pipeline until he reached the ocean off Hawke’s Bay.
“Octopuses are famous escape artists. But Inky really tested the waters here. I don’t think he was unhappy with us, or lonely, as octopus are solitary creatures. But he is such a curious boy. He would want to know what’s happening on the outside. That’s just his personality,” Rob Yarrell, national manager of the National Aquarium of New Zealand told the Guardian.
Staff members at the aquarium are closely watching Inky’s tankmate, the second octopus in residence since the escape.
