Paul the Octopus ( said to be hatched January 2008 at Oberhausen , Germany - 26 October 2010 ) was an octopus living in a tank at a Sea Life Centre in Oberhausen , Germany . Paul the Octopus ( reportedly hatched 26 January 2008 ; died 26 October 2010 ) was a common octopus from Weymouth , England . Paul lived in a tank at a commercial attraction , the Sea Life Centre in Oberhausen , Germany and became internationally famous after his feeding behavior was used to correctly predict the winner of each of the Germany national football team 's seven matches in the 2010 FIFA World Cup , as well as the outcome of the final .