CLARKSVILLE, Ind. (AP) -- A 20-year-old Jeffersonville, Indiana man was trying to catch catfish in the Ohio River across from Louisville when he landed an octopus.

David Stepp made the catch Monday and showed it to Bill Putt, a park ranger at the Falls of the Ohio State Park.

PAUL McLEAN

This octopus was caught in the Ohio River

Putt snapped photos of the dead animal which measured six feet from the tip of one tentacle to the other. Putt deposited the octopus in a park freezer, saying a marine biologist might want to examine it.

The octopus is one of many weird discoveries at the falls, where park crews and visitors have found crocodiles and piranha-like tropical fish over the years. Putt says because they live in salt water, they don’t survive long in fresh water such as the Ohio River.

(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)