NAPIER, NEW ZEALAND — An octopus residing at the National Aquarium of New Zealand made a daring escape from its tank to the Pacific Ocean. <br /> <br />After saying goodbye to his fellow octopus tankmate, Inky the Octopus decided to go on a journey of solitude. <br /> <br />He slipped through a tiny gap left open by maintenance workers at the top of the tank and travelled three to four metres across the aquarium floor, leaving behind a trail of suction cup prints. <br /> <br />Sensing freedom from a small drainpipe, Inky squeezed his body and legs into it .and crawled 50 metres through the pipeline until he reached the ocean off Hawke’s Bay. <br /> <br />“Octopuses are famous escape artists. But Inky really tested the waters here. I don’t think he was unhappy with us, or lonely, as octopus are solitary creatures. But he is such a curious boy. He would want to know what’s happening on the outside. That’s just his personality,” Rob Yarrell, national manager of the National Aquarium of New Zealand told the Guardian. <br /> <br />Staff members at the aquarium are closely watching Inky’s tankmate, the second octopus in residence since the escape.
