Henry the Hexapus was a six-limbed lesser octopus found by British marine scientists in 2008. The name alludes to

King Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

, who had six wives. While the name Hexapus is descriptive, Henry the Hexapus should not be confused with Hexapus, a recognized genus of crabs. The octopus was found off the coast of

North Wales North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, ...

in a

lobster pot A lobster trap or lobster pot is a portable trap that traps lobsters or crayfish and is used in lobster fishing. In Scotland (chiefly in the north), the word creel is used to refer to a device used to catch lobsters and other crustaceans. A l ...

, and was held in captivity at the

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre rivers, and is ...

Sea Life Centre in

North West England North West England is one of nine official regions of England and consists of the ceremonial counties of England, administrative counties of Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside. The North West had a population of ...

. His unusual number of arms was not immediately noticed, and appears to have resulted from a natal anomaly, rather than a physical accident. Developmental biologist

PZ Myers Paul Zachary Myers (born March 9, 1957) is an American biologist who founded and writes the ''Pharyngula'' science-blog. He is associate professor of biology at the University of Minnesota Morris (UMM)

called the defect "an ordinary sort of error." After being taken from the sea, Henry was transferred to the Anglesey Sea Zoo, which, in turn, donated him to the Blackpool Centre, where he was featured in an exhibition entitled "Suckers". An aquarium spokeswoman stated that "He's a lovely little thing." Many other octopus arm anomalies have been recorded in the past. American tourists visiting Portugal also claimed to have captured images of a six-limbed octopus in the waters of Portinho Arrábida, although experts could not confirm the sighting without additional information. Another family of American tourists did capture a hexapus in Greece in 2013, as verified by photographs, but cooked and ate it.

References

Notes {{Reflist Individual octopuses Individual animals in Wales Individual animals in England Marinades Food and the environment