After Paul the Octopus, panda to predict World Cup winners

The China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda said on Tuesday that a panda will serve as the animal oracle for the 2014 Brazil World Cup, Xinhua News Agency said on Tuesday.

As the successor to "Paul the Octopus," an animal star of the 2010 World Cup who accurately predicted the outcome of eight matches, a panda cub less than two years old will be invited to predict the results of soccer matches.

The specific prediction method is still under discussion.

According to a preliminary plan, the panda may be presented with food marked with national flags to choose from, or be ordered to pick among trees with national flags. The food or tree the panda selects first will be the predicted winner of a match.