The octopus that gained world fame by correctly predicting World Cup results has died

The death of Paul the Octopus was announced by the aquarium in Oberhausen.

He was two years old.

Paul correctly predicted all games involving Germany, and also picked Spain to win the World Cup final over the Netherlands.

Before matches, two containers of food were placed in the eight-legged creature's tank, each one bearing the flag of one of the teams about to compete for their chance to become world champions. The container Paul picked first was seen as his pick.

Altogether, the octopus correctly predicted the outcome of eight matches during the Fifa World Cup this year.

Staff at the Oberhausen Sea Life Centre said they were "devastated" to learn of Paul's death when they returned to work on Tuesday.

"He appears to have passed away peacefully during the night, of natural causes. We are consoled by the knowledge that he enjoyed a good life," said the centre's manager Stefan Porwoll.

Paul will be kept in cold storage until the centre decides how to mark his extraordinary life. "We may decide to give Paul his own small burial plot within our grounds and erect a modest permanent shrine," the oceanarium spokesman said.

• Paul may yet continue to dazzle the world with predictions from beyond the grave: A Russian newspaper said in July that it had got Paul to predict who would be Russia's next president - but that the results would be kept secret until the election year of 2012.