Paul the Octopus Found Dead in Sea Life Aquarium, Conspiracy Theories Follow

Oracle Paul the Octopus was in his home in the Sea Life Aquarium in Oberhausen, Germany, perfectly healthy on Monday night.

On Tuesday morning, he was found dead. While the aquarium spokesman has said that the 2 1/2-year-old died of natural causes, that is shorter than the expected lifespan of such a creature, and one cannot help but consider conspiracy theories.

Paul was the subject of an intense international custody battle in the wake of the World Cup, with Spain, Italy, England, France and Germany all claiming the creature. Italy, France and England all claimed to be the birthplaces of Paul, while he had resided in Germany for most of his life and Spain had won the World Cup that had made him famous.

Italy and France suffered disastrous World Cups, and perhaps their fans would want to erase any relics of the event — Paul included. England and Germany both have reason to be angry with Paul. He picked against them, dooming them to elimination.

While the Sea Life Aquarium probably has pretty good security, one cannot help but wonder how Paul really met his fate — or if he was replaced by a decoy dead octopus and brought back to one of his other “rightful” home countries?

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I think their effort was great … but the final score is what counts.”
— Wade Phillips, on his Cowboys losing their fifth game of the season

COMMENT OF THE DAY

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—huni c.