Earlier this year, a resident of New Zealand’s National Aquarium pulled off a bold getaway. Workers arrived one morning to find Inky, an octopus, missing from his tank!
Where had he gone? Inky left one clue: wet tracks from the tank to a nearby drainpipe.
Staff think Inky squirmed out a tiny opening at the top of his tank, scooched 2.4 meters (8 feet) across the floor, and wiggled down a 15 centimeter (6 inch) wide pipe that led to the ocean.
The breakout was no surprise to scientists. Octopuses are known for their intelligence. And as boneless invertebrates, they can squeeze through spaces the width of a coin. Inky’s escape was probably a cinch!