Octopus Floods Aquarium in Santa Monica, California

A clever octopus in the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium in California decided to amaze and amuse spectators with its dexterous talents by extracting a valve in the tank that caused it to overflow and create a flood on the floor. The owners of the aquarium were a bit surprised to see the water on the floor this past Tuesday when they opened up the aquarium to the public. The octopus was not harmed in the process but she apparently has been known to exhibit an interest in her surroundings and those who visit her.

Two hundred gallons of seawater displaced from the tank will probably cause some damage to the floor, officials at the aquarium say. The octopus is reported to have observed the workers drain the water from the floor while she floated in her tank.

This is not the first time an octopus decided to try to drain water from its tank. Back in 1994 at the San Pedro Cabrillo Marine Aquarium another curious octopus decided to find out what itwould be like to pull a water pipe loose and in doing so, drained out all the water, causing the animal to die in the process. Santa Monica's octopus seemed to have a bit more clever though, in being able to maintain some water in her own tank even after pulling her practical joke on the owners of the aquarium.

Santa Monica's octopus has no personal name but the aquarium education specialist has mentioned to the press that a possible name for her would be Flo. The eight-armed invertebrate is considered to be a highly intelligent animal who is able to observe and recall actions of others in its presence. For example, an octopus watching a human adjusting a valve inside a water tank will most likely attempt to duplicate the action when no one is watching. Having eight arms to do the job is no sweat, either.