Go, cephalopods! Octopus helps unearth ancient pottery

South Korean archaeologists said Tuesday they have discovered a sunken vessel packed with ancient pottery, in an exploration prompted by an octopus which attached its suckers to a plate.

The 12th-century wooden vessel was found buried in mud flats off Taean, southwest of Seoul, the National Maritime Museum said.

More than 2,000 pieces of 12th-century bowls, plates and other types of pottery were heaped inside the 7.7 meter (25-foot) vessel, it said.

"I believe the pottery might have been made for royals and the ruling elite of the Koryo Dynasty," which ruled the peninsula from 916 to 1392, museum head Seong Nack-Jun told reporters.