# New Zealand prisoner escapes to Pacific Ocean through six-inch drain pipe **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 13, 2016, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-zealand-prisoner-escapes-to-pacific-ocean-through-six-inch-drain-pipe/752103 "2016-04-13T18:09:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-zealand-prisoner-escapes-to-pacific-ocean-through-six-inch-drain-pipe/752103/21 "2016-04-14T00:07:54Z")
In 2016, Inky the Octopus escaped from the National Aquarium. All they found of him was a muddy set of tentacle tracks, and an old rock hammer damn near worn down to the nub. I remember thinking it would take a 'pus six hundred years to tunnel through the wall with it. Old Inky did it in less than twenty…Inky slithered to freedom through five hundred yards of shit-smelling foulness I can’t even imagine, or maybe I just don’t want to. Five hundred yards…that’s the length of five football fields, just shy of half a mile. So let this be a lesson to zoos everywhere. Don’t let octopuses have posters. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-zealand-prisoner-escapes-to-pacific-ocean-through-six-inch-drain-pipe/752103/22 "2016-04-14T02:09:15Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > What do they call their biggest shark? Mister Teeth? What better? I sure would do so if in charge of the aquarium. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-zealand-prisoner-escapes-to-pacific-ocean-through-six-inch-drain-pipe/752103/23 "2016-04-14T02:43:36Z")
The octopus has now been spotted in the town of [Fort Hancock, Texas](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ). ---
**Author:** ![blue\_infinity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blue_infinity/32/2817_2.png) [@blue\_infinity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blue_infinity)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-zealand-prisoner-escapes-to-pacific-ocean-through-six-inch-drain-pipe/752103/24 "2016-04-14T02:49:37Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Good to know the folks at the New Zealand National Aquarium are super original when it comes to naming their star attractions. > > What do they call their biggest shark? Mister Teeth? Bitey. If they didn’t name it Bitey, they missed a great opportunity. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-zealand-prisoner-escapes-to-pacific-ocean-through-six-inch-drain-pipe/752103/25 "2016-04-14T06:15:23Z")
> [@The Great Sun Jester](#): > > I’ve heard octopodes are about as smart as cats. But cats and people are both terrestrial, mammalian chordates with a common ancestor at some point, and probably think similarly about stuff like solving problems. **Incidents like this make me wonder what the thought process is like for a very smart mollusk. Which would still be closer to the thought process of a human than that of an alien.** I don’t think much further than that because I start getting sleepy and looking for the Oreos. Not very necessarily. Octopussies are about as alien as any thing Captain Kirk ever encountered on Debian Altair IV, and I wouldn’t imagine a mollusk brain having any kind of thought process that you earth humans would recognize. Even birds, I’ve read, have a brain structure very different from mammal brain structures. (Calling **Colibri**! Is that right?) Octopus nervous systems are somewhat decentralized – In addition to a somewhat centralized (encephalized) central brain, there are ganglion clusters at the base of each tentacle, and the tentacles are somewhat autonomous. If an octopus decides to squeeze himself through a hole in a wall, I think the tentacles all have to vote on it first. I saw a video where a trained octopus did something like that. They put a divider in the tank, with a bunch of holes in it. The octopus was trained to go through to the other side when a light was turned on, on the other side. The octopus climbed up onto the divider, and all the tentacles started trying to go through different holes, whichever hole each tentacle came across first, I guess. Finally, however, the head managed to get through one of the holes, and all the other tentacles followed. (This was at a symposium of marine animal – mostly dolphin and sea lion – trainers.) ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-zealand-prisoner-escapes-to-pacific-ocean-through-six-inch-drain-pipe/752103/26 "2016-04-14T06:42:56Z")
> [@spamforbrains](#): > > as a long-time fish keeper, I suspect they will find his dessicated body behind the tank in a few weeks. Just as likely to find him double bunking in a unit on Campbell Parade, Bondi and living off unemployment benefits ---
**Author:** ![Encinitas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@Encinitas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Encinitas)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-zealand-prisoner-escapes-to-pacific-ocean-through-six-inch-drain-pipe/752103/27 "2016-04-14T09:38:43Z")
Perhaps Inky is on his way to visit his Pacific Northwest cousin [the Tree Octopus](http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/). ---
**Author:** ![Sangahyando](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Sangahyando](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sangahyando)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-zealand-prisoner-escapes-to-pacific-ocean-through-six-inch-drain-pipe/752103/28 "2016-04-14T12:03:14Z")
Possibilities for a song, modelled on _Nellie the Elephant_ – “Inky the Octopus left his tank, and slid through a drain to the ocean…” ? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-zealand-prisoner-escapes-to-pacific-ocean-through-six-inch-drain-pipe/752103/29 "2016-04-14T12:09:33Z")
This story illustrates one good reason not to try to keep an octopus in a home aquarium - they are excellent escape artists. The other reason is that they tend to have a short life span in captivity. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-zealand-prisoner-escapes-to-pacific-ocean-through-six-inch-drain-pipe/752103/30 "2016-04-14T12:26:04Z")
> [@Sangahyando](#): > > Possibilities for a song, modelled on _Nellie the Elephant_ I tend towards limericks: “Inky the Octopus left his tank, and slid through a drain to the ocean, By slinking and slithering from here to there in a cephalapodious motion, It was a tight fit, but he inhaled a bit, And covered himself in hand lotion.” ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-zealand-prisoner-escapes-to-pacific-ocean-through-six-inch-drain-pipe/752103/31 "2016-04-14T15:41:45Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Not very necessarily. Octopussies are about as alien as any thing Captain Kirk ever encountered on Debian Altair IV, and I wouldn’t imagine a mollusk brain having any kind of thought process that you earth humans would recognize. Even birds, I’ve read, have a brain structure very different from mammal brain structures. (Calling **Colibri**! Is that right?) Yes, the structure of bird brains is quite different from that of mammalian brains. However, some birds, such as parrots and corvids (crows and ravens) show mammalian (perhaps even primate) levels of intelligence. Octopuses are by far the most intelligent invertebrates. [Here’s some information.](http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/are-octopuses-smart/) Intelligence has evolved independently in vertebrates and mollusks. However, their nervous systems are homologous in origin. One would still expect that their mental processes might have more in common than organisms of completely independent origin. > [@The Great Sun Jester](#): > > Assuming the drain goes more or less directly to the ocean as reported, then bully for the octopus. But aren’t the odds fairly decent it leads instead to, like, a sewer and possibly a treatment plant? The aquarium staff certainly know where the drainpipe goes, and I doubt they would have publicized this story if they thought the octopus might have died. If someone discovered that fact it would be pretty bad PR. The aquarium is directly on the shore and the drain quite likely leads directly to the ocean. ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-zealand-prisoner-escapes-to-pacific-ocean-through-six-inch-drain-pipe/752103/32 "2016-04-14T15:51:13Z")
The best part of this thread has been the NZ zoo animal names suggestions. I propose that if they get another octopus to replace Inky then they put more thought into the name. Call it Kiwinky Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-zealand-prisoner-escapes-to-pacific-ocean-through-six-inch-drain-pipe/752103/33 "2016-04-14T15:55:21Z")
“Octopus tracks”! ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-zealand-prisoner-escapes-to-pacific-ocean-through-six-inch-drain-pipe/752103/34 "2016-04-14T17:16:29Z")
> [@blue\_infinity](#): > > Bitey. > > If they didn’t name it Bitey, they missed a great opportunity. You pulled up tragically short of the finish line: Bitey McBiteface. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-zealand-prisoner-escapes-to-pacific-ocean-through-six-inch-drain-pipe/752103/35 "2016-04-14T17:29:15Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > “Octopus tracks”! That’s also a variety of Japanese ice cream. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2016, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-zealand-prisoner-escapes-to-pacific-ocean-through-six-inch-drain-pipe/752103/36 "2016-04-14T21:45:59Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > Aquarium staff searched the pipe and found no trace. Who knows if that means they peaked in the end of the pipe, ran a scope through the entire length, or something in between. But octopuses can get through [ridiculously small holes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yHIsQhVxGM), so 6 inches is no problem for them. > The remaining octopus is named “Blotchy”, so you’re probably not far off. Innovative naming is not a New Zealand trait. The aquarium is located on North Island for example (which we only got around to officially naming ‘North Island’ in 2009…). > [@The Great Sun Jester](#): > > Assuming the drain goes more or less directly to the ocean as reported, then bully for the octopus. But aren’t the odds fairly decent it leads instead to, like, a sewer and possibly a treatment plant? In which case Inky would be in a world of shit. The touch of a human hand is said to be very uncomfortable for them (burns), I can’t imagine what it would be like for them to be completely coated in muck. > > I’ve heard octopodes are about as smart as cats. But cats and people are both terrestrial, mammalian chordates with a common ancestor at some point, and probably think similarly about stuff like solving problems. Incidents like this make me wonder what the thought process is like for a very smart mollusk. Which would still be closer to the thought process of a human than that of an alien. I don’t think much further than that because I start getting sleepy and looking for the Oreos. The Aquarium is about 50 metres from the sea, so the drain probably does just go straight there. Napier only stopped discharging sewage directly into the sea in the last decade or so anyhow… ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-zealand-prisoner-escapes-to-pacific-ocean-through-six-inch-drain-pipe/752103/37 "2016-04-15T00:04:47Z")
> [@Mtgman](#): > > The best part of this thread has been the NZ zoo animal names suggestions. I propose that if they get another octopus to replace Inky then they put more thought into the name. Call it > > Kiwinky > > Enjoy, > Steven They should get two octopuses to keep each other company so they won’t have as much incentive to escape. Name them Dinky and Parlayvoo. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-zealand-prisoner-escapes-to-pacific-ocean-through-six-inch-drain-pipe/752103/38 "2016-04-15T00:24:04Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > The aquarium staff certainly know where the drainpipe goes, and I doubt they would have publicized this story if they thought the octopus might have died. If someone discovered that fact it would be pretty bad PR. The aquarium is directly on the shore and the drain quite likely leads directly to the ocean. Even is Mr. Inky made out to the open ocean, what are his survival chances? Captive critters commonly don’t do well when released into the wild, especially if the release is not carefully planned. Is the immediate ocean environment around the aquarium right for this species of octopus? Are there other similar octopuses around? Are there predators that will kill and/or eat him more-or-less instantly? What ever Inky is in the habit of eating, is there any of that around? Was Inky captured from the wild or captive-born? Does he still have (or did he ever have) the necessary wild survival skills? We know that a captive octopus can do Differential Equations and quote Shakespeare, but would Inky know the things that a wild octopus needs to know? ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-zealand-prisoner-escapes-to-pacific-ocean-through-six-inch-drain-pipe/752103/39 "2016-04-15T00:34:55Z")
> [@lisiate](#): > > Innovative naming is not a New Zealand trait. The aquarium is located on North Island for example (which we only got around to officially naming ‘North Island’ in 2009…). Really? I didn’t know that. Does that mean we’re not supposed to call it “the north island” now? ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2016, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-zealand-prisoner-escapes-to-pacific-ocean-through-six-inch-drain-pipe/752103/40 "2016-04-15T01:11:30Z")
> [@Senegoid](#): > > Even is Mr. Inky made out to the open ocean, what are his survival chances? Captive critters commonly don’t do well when released into the wild, especially if the release is not carefully planned. > > Is the immediate ocean environment around the aquarium right for this species of octopus? Are there other similar octopuses around? Are there predators that will kill and/or eat him more-or-less instantly? What ever Inky is in the habit of eating, is there any of that around? > > Was Inky captured from the wild or captive-born? Does he still have (or did he ever have) the necessary wild survival skills? We know that a captive octopus can do Differential Equations and quote Shakespeare, but would Inky know the things that a wild octopus needs to know? I believe he was wild-caught, but I may be wrong. Now I want to see him do the famous milk can escape. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-zealand-prisoner-escapes-to-pacific-ocean-through-six-inch-drain-pipe/752103.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-zealand-prisoner-escapes-to-pacific-ocean-through-six-inch-drain-pipe/752103.md?page=3)