Tako, the piano-playing octopus, has retired. His owner, Swedish YouTuber Mattias Krantz, announced the news in March 2026. It marked the end of an extraordinary experiment that captured the attention of millions.

The idea began with Krantz’s longtime dream of teaching an animal to play the piano. In March 2025, he visited a fish market looking for the right candidate. After much consideration he chose an octopus. He named him "Takoyaki," or "Tako" for short.

"I’ve always wanted to teach an animal piano," Krantz explained. "In theory, octopuses have incredible potential. They’re as smart as a three-year-old, amazing problem-solvers, and each of their eight arms has its own mini brain. It’s like having eight pianists in one body."

Teaching an octopus to play piano was no easy task. It required completely redesigning the instrument. Because octopuses cannot hear sounds traveling through the air, Krantz added a vibrating speaker to the tank. This enabled Tako to feel the music. These animals also naturally pull objects toward themselves rather than press them down. So, Krantz built a custom keyboard with keys that had to be pulled. To encourage Tako to play, he even added a "crab elevator." It lowered a live crab into the tank whenever Tako pulled the correct keys.

Creating the special setup was only the first challenge. Krantz then spent months training Tako through a process of trial and error. He recorded Tako’s progress in several videos on his YouTube channel. There were times when he almost gave up. Finally, after six months of daily practice, Tako learned to play sequences of notes. Krantz shared their success in a documentary released on November 5, 2025. The viral video showed Tako pulling piano keys to play alongside Krantz’s guitar.

Unfortunately, Tako’s time as an internet sensation was short. Octopuses have short lifespans, and Tako is now nearing the end of his. During this stage of life, octopuses naturally lose energy and sleep more. Rather than push for more videos, Krantz has turned off the cameras. This allows his friend to peacefully enjoy his retirement, resting in his favorite tank cave.

Teaching an octopus to play piano may have been Krantz’s most unexpected project yet. However, it was not the first time he had surprised viewers with his creative musical inventions. His many creations include a piano that shoots paintballs and a guitar with magnetically hovering strings.

Resources: theviolinchannel.com, Washingtonpost.com, ZMEscience.com