Inky the octopus fondly remembered but likely escaped to find a mate says aquarium

Gone but not forgotten: Bruce Wells (left) exhibits co-ordinator, Matt Forbes, aquarist keeper, near the former tank of Inky the octopus who escaped from the National Aquarium.

A desire to mate could have prompted Inky the octopus to leg it out of her tank, an academic says.

Almost a year has passed since Inky captured national and worldwide attention when she disappeared from her tank at the National Aquarium in Napier.

It is believed the octopus made it out of the tank, down the drain and into the ocean.

National Aquarium exhibit coordinator Bruce Wells said Inky's absence has not gone unnoticed by staff members at the aquarium.

"We miss her and reminisce often," he said.

Inky's great escape captured the hearts and minds of people all over the world.

Mr Wells said the aquarium has received numerous stories from a group of children with dyslexia and other learning differences in Virginia, America.

Inky's Adventure, Inky the Sneaky Octopus and Welcome Home Inky are just some of the titled stories that feature octopus research, story narratives and hand drawn pictures.

While many of the children's stories saw Inky return home to her mother after escaping the aquarium these narratives unfortunately fall short of the truth.

University of Otago teuthologist Dr Jean McKinnon said she suspects Inky has now passed away.

"Adults only live for two years and once they breed they die. It is likely that Inky was looking for love, mated and then died," she said.

Ms McKinnon said after making her great escape to the ocean Inky would have crept "fairly fast" along the ocean floor.

After finding rocky reef Inky would have then pursued a mate, laid up to 150,000 eggs and then survived long enough to see her eggs hatch.

Both male and female octopodes die several months after mating; the females dying of starvation as they do not eat for three months once their eggs are laid.

Despite speculation about whether the escapee's story was just a ruse, Ms McKinnon said it's "completely possible" that Inky did escape her tank.

"Ask anyone who has dealt with the species and they will tell you it's entirely possible, They can go through any space that admits the beak as it's the only hard part of the body, " she said.

While hesitant to ascribe human emotion to the famed escapee, Ms McKinnon said Inky's desire to mate would have "driven" her out to sea.

"Certainly the drive would have been to go out and mate and if she achieved it that would be a good thing but she would be dead," she said.

Ms McKinnon said there are several good reefs on the Hawke's Bay coastline, meaning that it was likely that Inky's romantic endeavours were not fruitless.

Following Inky's adventure out to sea there are now no octopodes in the National Aquarium.

The tank Inky escaped from is now occupied by a moray eel who goes by the name "Psycho".