Forget who has the best coffee or the most affordable housing, the SEA LIFE Octopi Games is the true decider of which city is the most tenta-cool and which is home to the biggest sucker!

SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium and SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium went beak-to-beak in three interstate challenges designed to test the strength, speed, intelligence, and agility of their beloved octopodes.

Houdini the common Sydney octopus, camouflage artist and contortionist extraordinaire represented the Darling Harbour attraction, while Maori octopus, Occy Balboa, a gentle climbing enthusiast and expert puzzle solver, set out to octopi the top spot for Melbourne!

The Contortion Race was Houdini's for the taking, challenging the octopodes to retrieve food from inside a Perspex box. Nimble and highly intelligent, she quickly assessed the situation, expertly twisting she stretched a tentacle through a small hole to snag the prawn and pop it in her beak in record time.

The judges were unable to call a clear winner in the Interpretive Tank Dance, with Houdini and Occy Balboa both darting elegantly through the water, presenting multiple forms, and displaying a kaleidoscope of colours to demonstrate their camouflage prowess.

Ultimately, it was Occy Balboa's performance in the Strength Test, an impressive 4.7kg toy tug, that clinched Melbourne's SEA LIFE Octopi Games glory!

“We'd like to congratulate SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium on their tenta-cular results!” laughed Jillian Chambers, Aquarist at SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium. “Houdini may be small, but she has a big, cheeky personality and we're really proud of both her Octopi Games performance and her daily accomplishments helping us to educate our guests”.

Jacinta Early, Aquarist at SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium, said, “We knew Occy Ballboa would prove Melbourne is the most tenta-cool city! These challenges are all part of the enrichment programs we create for our animals offering them plenty of mental stimulation and fun.”

In celebration of World Octopus Day, guests can visit SEA LIFE Sydney and SEA LIFE Melbourne to see the octopi and hear one of several octopus talks throughout the day.

For more information on SEA LIFE Sydney and SEA LIFE Melbourne and to discover a range of other marine and freshwater creatures, visit: www.visitsealife.com/sydney/ and www.visitsealife.com/melbourne

SYD Footage - https://vimeo.com/869425090/ac7f6f4a06?share=copy

MELB Footage -  https://vimeo.com/869424871/d7d56ab122?share=copy

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For further information please contact:

Charli Beale, PR Manager at Merlin Entertainments, charli.beale@merlinentertainments.com.au, +61 428 095 393
Olivia Wilson, PR Executive at Merlin Entertainments, olivia.wilson@merlinentertainments.com.au, +61 429 166 121

About Occy Balboa, of SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium

Occy Balboa is a Maori octopus, found along the temperate coastlines of Eastern Australia and New Zealand. He is the largest octopus found in coastal Victoria and is well renowned for his strength and aggression. However, Occy Balboa is however very gentle, inquisitive, and highly intelligent, capable of doing a variety of puzzles to get to his food. His favourite time of the day is when he gets to play with his keepers, climbing around their arms, playing with toys, and having water poured over his tentacles.

About Houdini, of SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium

Houdini is a Common Sydney Octopus, a species of octopus from the subtropical waters of eastern Australia and New Zealand. She is master of disguise with the uncanny ability to camouflage to her surroundings. A contortionist she often squeezes herself through tight spaces whilst exploring her exhibit. Houdini loves to play with her toys and will squirrel them away her to den for most of the day, only when a treat is offered will she consider giving them back. Houdini is a professional interior decorator often moving the carefully placed furniture in her exhibit to something more feng shui. She is also exceptionally good at helping clean her exhibit and will ride the siphon bell as we clean the substrate. 

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About Merlin Entertainments:

Merlin Entertainments is a global leader in location-based, family entertainment. As Europe's Number 1 and the world's second-largest visitor attraction operator, Merlin operates over 140 attractions, 23 hotels and 6 holiday villages in 24 countries and across 4 continents. Merlin's purpose is to deliver memorable experiences to its millions of guests around the world, through its iconic brands and multiple attraction formats, and the commitment and passion of its employees. 

Merlin currently has 10 attractions in Australia, including LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Melbourne, WILD LIFE Sydney Zoo, Madame Tussauds, Sydney; Illawarra Fly Treetop Adventures and Otway Fly Treetop Adventures & Zip Line; the Sydney Tower Eye; SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium, SEA LIFE Melbourne Aquarium, SEA LIFE Sunshine Coast, Queensland, and Kelly Tarlton's SEA LIFE Aquarium in Auckland. Visit www.merlinentertainments.biz for more information.