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But aquarium officials say the octopus, named Ink, was not
attempting a jailbreak in the video, which has gone viral on the
Internet, but simply learning to embrace his new home with all
eight arms.
"It was not an escape attempt," aquarium spokesman Tim Kuniholm
said of the video, in which Ink inched his way up the
cylindrical glass tank to squeals from onlookers. "It's a new
exhibit and the animal was exploring his boundaries."
A Seattle aquarium employee later put Ink's arms back inside the
case, and a so-called "evening cap" was fastened on top to help
keep the curious fellow in place, Kuniholm said.
"Octopuses are very inquisitive by nature, and in this case ...
Ink is an overachiever," he said.
Ink is one of two new giant Pacific octopuses on display at the
aquarium. Found in Puget Sound, they are the world's largest
species of octopuses, weighing on average about 90 pounds (41
kg) and measuring 20 feet (6.1 meters) across.
Kuniholm said the two male octopuses are kept in separate homes
at the aquarium because the species is solitary by nature, with
males and females coming together only to mate during their
short 3-to-4-year lifespan.
In the next year, Ink will be released back into the wild as
part of an ongoing education and conservation program for the
species, the aquarium said.
(Reporting by Victoria Cavaliere; Editing by Cynthia Johnston
and Sandra Maler)
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