NAPIER, New Zealand, April 13 (UPI) — An octopus at a New Zealand aquarium took advantage of a narrow opportunity to escape from his tank into the Pacific Ocean.
Inky the octopus managed to squeeze his way through a slight opening in his tank while it was undergoing maintenance.
“He managed to make his way to one of the drain holes which go back to the ocean and off he went – and he didn’t even leave us a message,” National Aquarium manager Rob Yarrall told Radio New Zealand.
Aquarium staff found Inky’s trail and inspected the pipes that he used to escape the museum, but by the time they realized his escape the octopus had already made his way to the ocean.
Yarrall said that the museum staff has missed Inky since his escape, but admitted he was not surprised at the feat due to octopi’s ability to fit through tight spaces.
“As long as it’s mouth can fit,” he told Stuff. “Their bodies are squishy but they have a beak, like a parrot.”
Inky had been at the aquarium since 2014 and received his name through a competition put on by the Napier City Council.
