Henry the Hexapus was a six-limbed

lesser octopus The curled octopus (''Eledone cirrhosa''), also known as the horned octopus, lesser octopus or northern octopus, is a species of cephalopod found in the northeast Atlantic, ranging from Norway to the Mediterranean, including the British Isles. T ...

found by British marine scientists in 2008. The name alludes to King Henry VIII, who had six wives. While the name Hexapus is descriptive, Henry the Hexapus should not be confused with

Hexapus ''Hexapus'' is a genus of crabs in the family Hexapodidae. It contains only three Extant taxon, extant species found in the Indo-West Pacific. They inhabit the intertidal and subtidal areas of shorelines. Description Like other members of the ...

, a recognized genus of crabs. The octopus was found off the coast of

North Wales North Wales ( cy, Gogledd Cymru) is a 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, with Snowdonia N ...

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

Sea Life Centre Sea Life is a chain of commercial sea life-themed aquarium attractions. there are 53 Sea Life attractions (including standalone Sea Life centres, mini Sea Life features within resort theme parks, and Legoland submarine rides) around the world. ...

in North West England. 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 The Anglesey Sea Zoo ( cy, Sw Môr Môn) is an aquarium and independent research and marine education centre on the south coast of Anglesey island in North Wales. Located just outside the village of Brynsiencyn, Anglesey Sea Zoo claims to be the ...

, 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