- .Labros Hydras pulled the hexapus from the sea when snorkelling in Greece
- .He smashed it against a rock and then asked a local chef to cook it
- .Chef refused because it is so rare, but Labros fried it anyway
- .The father-of-two then realised his mistake and is attempting to raise awareness of the creatures
By JAYMI MCCANN
A US citizen told how he caught and ate an octopus on holiday - only to discover it was the second rare six-legged specimen ever found.
Mechanical engineer Labros Hydras, 49, pulled the creature - dubbed a ‘hexapus’ - from the sea as he went snorkelling in Greece.
He and his son followed local tradition by smashing it against a rock to kill it and then took it to a nearby taverna to cook.
Catch: Labros Hydras his daughter Areti, ten, and son Arion, six admire the six legged octopus or hexapus which they found while on holiday in Greece
Fishing: The specimen was pulled from the sea by US citizen Labros Hydras as he went snorkelling in Greece
Hexapus: The chef refused to cook it for him but he fried it himself and served it with tomato and lemon
The chef refused to cook it for him because it was so rare and told Labros he should have let the octopus live.
But the father-of-two, who was born in Greece and now lives in Washington D.C., fried it for his supper anyway and served it up with a slice of tomato and lemon.
After finishing it off he decided to check out what the chef had said - and felt sick when he realised what he had done.
Net: The chef told Labros he should have let the octopus live because it was so rare
The unfortunate moment that Labros Hydras' son Arion (left) killed the six legged octopus (right)
Beach: Labros finishes off the rare hexapus while his daughter Areti and son Arion watch
No-one had ever heard of a six-legged hexapus until five years ago when one nicknamed Henry was found near North Wales, Britain.
That first-ever recorded discovery was taken to Blackpool Sea Life Centre, England.
Labros, 49, is now trying to find out more about the marine mutant.
He is also helping sealife experts in Greece with what he can remember of the catch on Papa Nero beach on Pelion peninsula.
Tentacles: it was only the second hexapus ever found, the first being in Wales
Holiday: The family inspect the hexapus before killing and eating it
Labros, who was snorkelling with daughter Areti, ten, and son Arion, six, said: 'It tasted just like a normal octopus but now I feel really bad.
'When we caught it, there was nothing to suggest it was any different or had been damaged.
'I thought it had just been born with six tentacles.
'We go to Greece every year and when we catch an octopus we do the same thing so we just did not think about it.'
Day out: The family travel to Greece every year and frequently catch and cook wild octopi
Catch of the day: Labros's son Arion holds the six legged octopus or hexapus
He added: 'I wanted to find out more, but there was no internet where we were.
'I then called my friend who is a biologist and he told me it was true and I was horrified.
'Now I want to pursue the scientific angle to make scientists aware of the existence of the wild hexapus.
'It is the least that I can do given my ignorance and guilt that I feel for killing such a rare animal.'
Labros has shown his evidence to specialists at the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research in Greece.
Biologists say the six-legged hexapus is the result of a natal abnormality as opposed to a new species.
HENRY, THE ORIGINAL HEXAPUS
Henry the Hexapus was found in 2008
Henry was found off the coast of North Wales in 2008 in a lobster pot and was the first six-tentacled octopus found.
He was named after King Henry VIII, who had six wives.
He was held at Blackpool Sea Life Centre, northern England, and was an attraction in an exhibit named Suckers.
It is thought that his tentacles are a result of a natural abnormality, and he was not involved in an accident.
After being taken from the sea, he was transferred to the Anglesey Sea Zoo, Wales, which, in turn, donated him to the Blackpool Centre.
He is thought to have been the first of his kind.
The Centre's displays supervisor Carey Duckhouse said at the time: 'We've scoured the internet and talked to lots of other aquariums and no-one has ever heard of another case of a [hexapus].'
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