Paul, the octopus, became a global sensation with his accurate match predictions during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Kept at an aquatic life centre in Germany, Paul was presented with two food boxes - marked with two team flags - and the one he ate from was considered his prediction for the upcoming game.
Paul predicted the results of Germany’s games at Euro 2008 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
How many matches did Paul predict?
Paul made a prediction for 14 matches - six in Euro 2008 and eight in World Cup 2010.
How many predictions did Paul get right?
The octopus made four accurate predictions, out of six, in the 2008 Euros. All were for games involving Germany.
In the 2010 World Cup, Paul made eight predictions and all were accurate. The octopus chose Spain as the winner in the semifinal against Germany and La Furia Roja won the game 1-0.
For the final, Paul chose the box marked with the Spain flag, and the team beat Netherlands 1-0.
Where is Paul the Octopus now?
The octopus was found dead by his keepers in October 2010. The reason for his death was natural causes. Paul’s age at the time of his death was two and a half years, normally the average lifespan for the species.
Is there an animal making predictions for the 2022 FIFA World Cup?
While there is no soothsayer as accurate as Paul, there have been quite a few animal oracles turning up in different parts of the world.
A gibbon named Kent has predicted that Croatia will beat Japan in the Round of 16 match on Monday.
In Japan, an otter named Taiyo made a correct prediction that the Blue Samurais will beat Germany in their group stage match. The otter was given a football and asked to place it in three buckets presented in front of him. Taiyo deposited the ball in the bucket marked with Japan’s flag.
In Dubai, a penguin named Toby has been making predictions. The bird correctly forecasted the wins of Saudi Arabia and Japan so far. However, the keepers have admitted that some of Toby’s predictions have been wrong.
Today, a video has surfaced where a parrot in Bahrain has claimed the USA men’s national soccer team will beat England in the Group B match.
What about soothsayers in earlier World Cups?
There have been animal oracles in the past editions of the World Cups as well. In 2018, a cat in Russia named Achilles predicted results by choosing between two food bowls - each marked with a team’s flag.
This soothsayer got some of the predictions incorrect. The cat predicted the Russian team to win the World Cup. In Argentina’s last knockout game against Nigeria, the cat chose the Nigerian flag, predicting the South American side to bow out from the group stage.
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