Paul the predicting octopus in action© Getty Images

Forget the SPI, Germans believe they have the secret of predicting the fate of their national team in the World Cup. It’s an octopus.

Paul, who was born in England but now lives in a zoo in Oberhausen, makes his selections by choosing between two boxes emblazed with the teams’ national flags, both filled with a tasty snack of … well, whatever octopus/octopi/octopuses love.

According to zoo officials, Paul accurately foresaw Germany’s loss to Serbia and today picked Germany to beat England in Sunday's second-round clash.

Sadly, the risk of indigestion means Paul is unable to offer a prediction service for games not featuring Germany.