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Paul the Octopus (26 January 2008 – 26 October 2010) was a common octopus who supposedly predicted the results of association football matches. He made many accurate predictions in the 2010 World Cup which brought him worldwide attention as an animal oracle. During divinations, Paul's keepers would present him with two boxes containing food. Each box was identical except for the fact that they were decorated with the different team flags of the competitors of an upcoming football match. Whichever box Paul ate from first would be considered his prediction for which team would win the match. His keepers at the Sea Life Centre in Oberhausen, Germany, mainly tasked him with predicting the outcomes of international matches in which the German national football team was playing. Paul correctly chose the winning team in several of Germany's six Euro 2008 matches, and all seven of their matches in the 2010 World Cup—including Germany's third place play-off win over Uruguay on 10 July. Following these predictions, his success rate rose to 85 percent, with an overall record of 11 out of 13 correct predictions. Aside from his predictions involving Germany, Paul also foretold Spain's win against the Netherlands in the 2010 World Cup Final by eating a mussel from the box with the Spanish flag on it.〔Christenson, Marcus. ("Psychic octopus Paul predicts Spain to beat Holland in World Cup final" ), ''The Guardian'', 9 July 2010.〕 Experts have proposed several scientific theories to explain Paul's seemingly prescient behaviour, ranging from pure luck to the possibility he was attracted to the appearance or smell of one box over another. == Life == Paul was hatched from an egg at the Sea Life Centre in Weymouth, England, then moved to a tank at one of the chain's centres at Oberhausen in Germany. His name derives from the title of a poem by the German children's writer Boy Lornsen: ''Der Tintenfisch Paul Oktopus''.〔Published in ''Das alte Schwein lebt immer noch: Boy Lornsens Tierleben'', Schneekluth (1985), ISBN 978-3795109417. Re-published in and eponymous of the anthology ''Der Tintenfisch Paul Oktopus. Gedichte für neugierige Kinder'', 2009, Manfred Boje Verlag ISBN 9783414821485〕 According to Sea Life's entertainment director, Daniel Fey, Paul demonstrated intelligence early in life: "There was something about the way he looked at our visitors when they came close to the tank. It was so unusual, so we tried to find out what his special talents were." The animal rights organisation PETA commented that octopuses are some of the most intelligent of invertebrates, with complex thought processes, long- and short-term memories, and different personalities. They can use tools, learn through observation, and are particularly sensitive to pain, according to the group. They said it would be cruel to keep Paul in permanent confinement. Sea Life Centres responded that it would be dangerous to release him, because he was born in captivity, and was not accustomed to finding food for himself. Following Paul's rise to fame, businessmen in Carballiño, a community in Galicia, collected about €30,000 in a "transfer fee" to get Paul as main attraction of the local ''Fiesta del Pulpo'' festival.〔(bieten 30.000 Euro Ablösesumme für "Pulpo Paul" ) FTD 10 July 2010〕 Manuel Pazo, a fisher and head of the local business club assured that Paul would be presented alive in a tank and not on the menu. Sealife rejected the offer nevertheless.〔(Kraken-Orakel vs. Propheten-Papagei ) FR online nach einer DPA Meldung, 8 July 2010〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Paul the Octopus」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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