An octopus that saw a glimpse of internet stardom after appearing to correctly predict the results of all three of Japan's recent World Cup games has been killed and sent to market, according to Japanese media.
A giant Pacific octopus named Rabiot became a national sensation in Japan for being "psychic" after it correctly predicted that the country would win against Colombia, draw with Senegal and lose to Poland.
The creature made its predictions by swimming toward baskets of food in a pool. Each basket represented Japan winning, Japan's opponent winning or a draw.
Japanese media reported that the fisherman who had caught the octopus had decided that his business was more important than keeping the octopus alive.
"I hope that the second Rabiot will also give all the outcomes correctly and that Japan will go all the way," he told Sora News 24.
It's far from the first time an animal has caught media attention by predicting the outcome of World Cup games.
Paul the octopus saw instant fame in 2010 after correctly predicting the results of South Africa's World Cup. Not unlike Rabiot, Paul's predictions involved eating food displaying the colors of the different teams,Time magazine reported.
This year, a deaf cat from St. Petersburg Russia is the most recent instance of animal "clairvoyance." The cat, named Achilles, correctly predicted that the hosts would beat Saudi Arabia and Egypt, but incorrectly backed Nigeria in their competition with Argentina.
Harry the "oracle" otter in Sochi, Russia, has also seen some success this year. In June, he predicted Spain's victory over Russia, Reuters reported.
The otter is just one of several animals predicting this year's World Cup games, with rivals including a white goat and several hippos, all from Russia.
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