# Eight-armed bandit

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eight-armed-bandit/951283>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [September 24, 2021, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eight-armed-bandit/951283 "2021-09-24T17:28:17Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\
**Post date:** [September 24, 2021, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eight-armed-bandit/951283/1 "2021-09-24T17:28:17Z")

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The thread about gorillas having sex in a zoo, reminded me of a letter in the Oct. Scientific American with the above caption. After fish were mysteriously disappearing in an aquarium in England with no sign of breaking or entry, the staff came under suspicion. A surveillance camera was set up. It showed an octopus slither out of its tank, cross to another tank, go inside to grab a fish, return to its own tank and carefully close the lid of its tank, then gobble the fish.

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**Author:** ![Fluffy\_PickleSniffer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/77aa72/32.png) [@Fluffy\_PickleSniffer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fluffy_PickleSniffer)\
**Post date:** [September 24, 2021, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eight-armed-bandit/951283/2 "2021-09-24T17:38:52Z")

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I remember reading about that octopus, I love it! I wonder if there’s video of it on the web because I’d love to see it. Now I gotta go looking.  
Well, after a quick search , I can find videos on Inky the octopus, but not on the one in your story. My google-fu isn’t very strong, though.

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**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\
**Post date:** [September 24, 2021, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eight-armed-bandit/951283/3 "2021-09-24T17:45:56Z")

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I remember the story too but it looks like it was just an Urban Legend.

> **[Octopus Facts | The Aquarium-Hopping Myth Unmasked](https://www.slickrock.com/2013/08/octopus-facts/)**
>
> Fun octopus facts reveal the truth about a myth: Can an octopus steal fish from an adjacent aquarium tank and slink back home undetected?

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**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\
**Post date:** [September 25, 2021, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/eight-armed-bandit/951283/4 "2021-09-25T00:00:14Z")

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Reminds me of another octopus I’ve heard of, named Otto. He’s been witnessed doing things like deliberately shorting out lights near his tank by squirting them with water or juggling his hermit crab tank mates.

> **[Otto the Octopus is an intelligent invertebrate who confounded humans](https://www.sherryduquet.com/otto-the-octopus/)**
>
> This story about Otto the Octopus from National Public Radio, illustrates the intelligence of octopuses. Otto is a resident at an aquarium in Germany.