Like Alcatraz escapee Frank Lee Morris, mystery surrounds the ‘jailbreak’ of Inky the octopus, whose body has never been found after absconding from a New Zealand aquarium.
Is he alive after slinking through a network of underground piping? Or did he perish in the dash from his watery cell?
Staff at the National Aquarium of New Zealand, Napier believe the tentacled creature is actually now living a new life in the Pacific Ocean, after squeezing through a tiny drainpipe leading to the sea.
Inky is thought to have made a break for it in the middle of the night three months ago when the lid of his tank was left slightly ajar.
“They can fit through very, very small spaces - even quite a large octopus, they can squeeze down to the size of their mouth,” aquarium manager Rob Yarral told Radio New Zealand.
“He managed to make his way to one of the drain holes which go back to the ocean and off he went - and he didn’t even leave us a message.”
Octopus are considered extremely intelligent creatures. Last year, a scientific study published by the Nature sequenced the underwater invertebrate’s genome for the first time, detailing its evolution and complex nervous system.
The study also said octopuses “show extraordinarily sophisticated behaviors” through “complex problem-solving”, “observational learning” and “spectacular displays of camouflage.”
In light of Inky’s bolt to freedom, here are just some of the incredible feats performed by these deep-sea Houdinis: