Big octopus packs himself inside tiny lunchbox

BOSTON - What is 7 feet long, weighs 30 pounds, has eight arms and fits in a box slightly larger than a milk crate?

Truman the octopus.

Truman squeezed into a clear, acrylic box while trying to snag his lunch at the New England Aquarium in Boston.

Aquarium workers often place food inside locked boxes for the intelligent animals to crack open. It's what the aquarium calls an "enrichment activity," but it didn't go as planned Thursday.

In this case, crabs were locked in a smaller box inside the bigger box, which is 14 inches per side. The impatient Truman bypassed the locks and squeezed his body through a 2-inch hole in the exterior box.

He spent about 30 minutes inside before slithering out, delighting staff and guests who witnessed the spectacle.

He never did get the smaller box open.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

URL: Big octopus packs himself inside tiny lunchbox - Science- msnbc.com
The Associated Press
updated 9:57 a.m. CT, Fri., March. 6, 2009

Click to expand...