For an Octopus, Football is Cool; Politics Can Be Toxic

Ronald Reagan used to say his right hand didn't know what his "far-right" hand was doing.

What would he say if he had eight of them?

An affable marine biologist at Gulf Specimen Marine Lab in Panacea is trying to replicate the success of the famous German octopus named Paul, who predicted the results of the FIFA 2010 World Cup. Jack Rudloe is using his octopus' feeding habits to predict the winner of Sunday's Super Bowl -- crab dinners in two containers, one decorated with a New York Giants logo, the other with New England Patriots colors. The crab the animal eats should indicate the winner of the game. (The crab being the loser.)

So far, the octopus appears to be favoring the Giants.

But don't look for Rudloe to be doing the same with either the Republican presidential nomination race or the general election.

The political atmosphere, he said, is too poisonous for an octopus.

"We talked about it, and we thought it would raise the temperature in the tank too much," he said Friday.

On the other hand(s), that could change if the right candidate comes up.

"We might find an octopus that can handle it," Rudloe said.