I tentacly predict Spain will win, Paul the octopus declares

• Paul the octopus delivers his World Cup verdict by picking a tank with Spain's flag on it. Pictures: Getty

Paul's prescient picks in the World Cup - he has yet to predict a match wrong - have propelled him to international fame from obscurity in an aquarium in the western city of Oberhausen.

Millions watched as the eight-legged oracle descended upon a tank marked with a Spanish flag, sitting for only a few minutes before grabbing a mussel and devouring it, while completely ignoring the Dutch tank - indicating a Spanish victory in tomorrow's final.

It was the first time the octopus had been tasked to pick a game in which Germany was not involved, as the Oberhausen Sea Life aquarium bowed to demand.

He correctly called Germany's wins over Argentina, England, Australia and Ghana as well as the country's losses to Spain and Serbia.

He also predicted yesterday that Germany will win over Uruguay in today's match for third and fourth place.

Paul first developed his abilities during the 2008 European Championship, in which he predicted five out of six games involving Germany correctly.

But while he had only a community of local fans two years ago, his World Cup predictions have brought him something like stardom. He has his own Facebook fan pages and a list of admirers that includes the Spanish leader.

His handlers say he is coping with fame well.

"Paul is such a professional oracle - he doesn't even care that hundreds of journalists are watching and commenting on every move he makes," said Stefan Porwoll, the Sea Life aquarium manager.

Spain's defeat of Germany in the semi-finals prompted some Germans to wonder about how he would taste grilled.

Spanish prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero fretted about the safety of "El Pulpo Paul," as he's known in Spain, and offered Paul protection. "I am concerned about the octopus," Mr Zapatero said. "I'm thinking about sending in a team to protect the octopus because obviously it was very spectacular that he should get Spain's victory right from there."

In response to hundreds of angry e-mails from disappointed Germans, the aquarium actually did take extra precautions, Mr Porwoll said.

In the Middle East, news sites offered detailed information about Paul's picks - drawing a suggestion that he be sent to Iraq to choose between the country's bitter political rivals, the prime minister Nouri al-Maliki and his challenger Ayad Allawi.

Animal rights group Peta weighed in, saying that Paul's tank was too small and that he should be set free.

Mr Porwoll noted, however, that born-in-captivity Paul has never had to deal with any natural enemies and dumping him into the Atlantic would likely be the kiss of death.

In captivity, he can be expected to live to age three or four, he added.

In South Africa, Spanish defender Carlos Marchena said he wasn't putting too much stock in Paul.

"It's only an octopus," he said.