Portuguese Puppeteer

Item #: SCP-1158

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SCP-1158's feeding and detection polyps, camouflaged within natural vines, awaiting prey

Object Class: Euclid

Special Containment Procedures: As additional specimens of SCP-1158 are known to exist in the wild, the specimen currently housed at Site 19, Hazardous Lifeforms Wing is designated SCP-1158a. SCP-1158a requires a 50m x 50m x 50m Lexan enclosure containing rainforest habitat transplanted from its natural surroundings. Habitat temperature will be maintained at 300 C; embedded misting systems will regulate humidity levels at 70%. Full-spectrum retractable sensor pods are embedded at 10m interval in a grid pattern throughout the enclosure to observe behavior and feeding. The enclosure will be accessed through a positive pressure airlock for enclosure and habitat maintenance. Said maintenance will be performed weekly by a team of Level 1 personnel equipped with Tyvek exposure suits with scent masking apparatus, accompanied by an MTF operative armed with a standard issue M870 shotgun. Under no circumstances are flame weapons or fire to be used on or near SCP-1158a. Feeding of SCP-1158a will occur once every 45 days. Prey item will consist of one (1) naked D-class subject scheduled for termination.

Description: SCP-1158 is an airborne, carnivorous arboreal predator closely resembling a very large olive drab Portuguese man-o-war (Physalia physalis), and shares its colonial polyp attributes. Known habitat currently consists of deciduous rainforest within a 500km radius surrounding ████████, ████████. Research on deceased specimens has shown that SCP-1158a’s large, four (4) meter pneumatophore is filled with a naturally occurring (bacteria decay) form of hydrogen, providing lift. While airborne, SCP-1158a nestles itself high in the canopy layer, allowing its feeding and detecting polyps to hang down through the understorey to the forest floor. These polyps are effectively camouflaged among the various vines and branches present. The dactylozooid polyp bundles are, to a limited degree, prehensile, thus owing to SCP-1158a’s nickname among research staff. SCP-1158a has not been observed at an altitude greater than the canopy emergent layer, seemingly preferring to remain silently hidden beneath the foliage.

Prey appears limited, so far, to human beings. Once a human makes contact with dactylozooid polyps lying on the ground or adjacent to a tree, nematocysts in the polyp strands inject a paralyzing neurotoxin while nearby polyp threads wrap around the [DATA REDACTED]. Experimentation with D-Class personnel indicates that envenomation and envelopment take approximately 6 seconds. At this time primary feeding polyps enter the victim’s ███ (additionally, ████ in the case of female victims)and begin to anchor themselves throughout the gastrointestinal system. Once anchored, powerful digestive enzymes are delivered which break down internal organs for absorption by the polyps. The process has been observed to last approximately ██ days, with the victim expiring approximately ██ days after capture. During the feeding process, it has been observed that specimens of SCP-1158 will use tendrils to "move" the victim's extremities upon sensing the approach of humans in an attempt at luring.

SCP-1158a was discovered on █/█/20██, approximately 400km from ███, ██████, during deforestation operations pursuant to the construction of the █████ █████ and ██████ near the ███████ River. Two days after several advance parties went missing, subsequent search teams located two party members seemingly at rest near the buttresses of a large Ceiba tree. The two subjects were initially unresponsive, then appeared to be “waving” the search teams over for assistance; when approached, it was observed the two subject’s arms were suspended by “very thin vines that were making them move”. As the search team's medical personnel moved to assist, team members began stepping on and making contact with feeding polyps from several specimens of SCP-1158 hovering nearby, at which point [DATA REDACTED], resulting in ██ casualties. Subsequent newspaper reports garnered the attention of the Foundation, which then moved to have the area quarantined.

Addendum: Observation log SCP-1158a1

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