An octopus that made a daring escape from the National Aquarium of New Zealand in Napier was probably looking for love, a marine science expert says.
Inky, a common New Zealand octopus about the size of a rugby ball, climbed out of his tank, found a drain, squeezed through a 150 mm pipe and returned to the ocean about three months ago but the news has only just got out.
The aquarium has been fielding media inquiries from around the world, and the story has been featured by outlets including CNN, the BBC and Bengali newspaper Anandabazar Patrika.
Napier City Council spokesperson Robyn McLean said the story had gone completely viral.
"It really has gone crazy. We came in this morning and had over 100 requests from media overseas, and I think everyone just loves a great animal yarn and this certainly ticks that box."
Inky came to the aquarium after being found in a cray pot, not in the best of condition, Ms McLean said.
He was quite distinctive, she said, as he had shortened limbs - with two tentacles chewed off, presumably during his days fighting with fish on Pania Reef.
"Inky's proved to be a bit of a survivor and he's decided to go back to where he came from."
Octopus expert Dr Jean McKinnon of Otago University, who has been studying the cephalopod molluscs for many years, told Afternoons they were as smart as dogs and toddlers, and she had many stories of similar wily behaviour.
"They learn, they are definitely learners. Put them in a novel situation and they'll definitely start exploring and learn what mischief they can get up to very quickly."
She said octopodes (her preferred plural) were the "ultimate escape artists" and some species could survive for up to six hours out of the water.
"Because the only hard part of their body is their beak, they can get through some remarkably small spaces... We had one out at the old Portobello aquarium [in Dunedin] that got down a drainpipe that measured no more than 10cm, and this was a big animal."
Octopodes "have a distributed brain... theoretically, they can think with their arms as well" - Dr Jean McKinnon on Afternoons
Another octopus she studied took a dislike to the overhead lights in the room where it was being kept.
"At that time, we had some pretty old lights, which were exposed. She discovered quite by accident that if she splashed it, the bulbs would blow. After that, she'd just take her little funnel and jet the water straight at it and we couldn't keep the lights on."
Dr McKinnon said she suspected Inky - who, at two years old, was nearing the end of his species' usual lifespan - had left to look for love.
"At the end of their life, all octopus have an overwheming desire to mate. He was looking for a lady friend."
Napier City Council's Robyn McLean said she thought it was unlikely the celebrity mollusc would be seen again.
"It is a pretty big ocean but who knows? I think he has the backing of quite a few people who are quite happy that he has made his decision that's where he wants to be, and hopefully he gets to stay there."