Inky the Octopus Escapes New Zealand Aquarium

An octopus at New Zealand’s National Aquarium escaped its tank and straight into the ocean, it was reported.

Inky, a common male octopus, slipped through a small gap on the aquarium floor “and down a seawater runoff pipe to Hawke’s Bay,” CNN reported.

“He managed to get out and two-and-a-bit meters (around 8 ft) away was a drain which he managed to escape through,” said Rob Yarrell, the manager of the National Aquarium of New Zealand.

According to Stuff, Inky is a size of a rugby ball, similar to a football, but octopuses are known for their stretching abilities, which was what allowed Inky to squeeze through the gap area in the first place.

“As long as it’s mouth can fit,” Yarrell said.

The great escape: Inky the crafty octopus has ‘legged it’ from his Napier aquarium https://t.co/vylX68hUWZ pic.twitter.com/CCr106m3Uo

— WWF-New Zealand (@WWFNewZealand) April 12, 2016

“Their bodies are squishy but they have a beak, like a parrot.”

Inky was originally caught by a local crayfisherman off the coast of Napier and was given to the National Aquarium in 2014.

“While he was with us, he would have learned a lot,” Yarrell said. “He was the type that was inquisitive, and a bit wiser than we thought.”

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Despite the fact that aquarium staff miss Inky and he was very popular with the visitors, they are not currently looking for a replacement.

“This particular one was very friendly and intelligent,” Yarrell said.

Though, according to Yarrall, if one was to come along, they would be happy to accept it