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| SCP-XXXX shortly before recovery |
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Item #: SCP-XXXX
Object Class: Safe
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-XXXX is to be contained in a holding cell measuring no less than 10m*15m*5m, composed of stainless steel plated with a copper/platinum alloy, with a ten (10)cm-thick sheet of glass covering the floor of the cell and surrounded by a layer of insulating material. In the event that SCP-XXXX is not visible on the floor of its containment chamber, a sustained current of three hundred (300) volts should be applied to the chamber until SCP-XXXX dislodges itself from the walls or ceiling onto the floor. At five (5) day intervals, the organism should be fed one (1) live mammal of minimum weight one hundred (100) kg. If the organism's total intake is expected to exceed one thousand (1000) kg in a single 30-day period, precautions should be taken to handle a reproductive event (see Addendum XXXX-2).
Description:SCP-XXXX is a mobile, predatory invertebrate, with a consistent thickness of approximately 0.3m and lateral area of between fifteen and fifty (15-50) square meters, weighing an estimated 500kg. A seam-like opening along one of its short sides serves as a toothless mouth that can stretch to accommodate crushed prey for digestion. It has no visible sensory organs, and appears to detect nearby prey by means of vibrations. The organism's upper layer is capable of extruding an organic hair-like covering at will, growing to a maximum length of 0.2m in 24 hours and being 'shed' in a similar span of time, while the lower surface emits one of two compounds - a semi-solid adhesive, or a acidic secretion that will rapidly dissolve any organic substance or oxidizable metal. Its body is highly resilient against environmental conditions and localized or generalized pressure, though it has proven vulnerable to high heat and electric shocks.
Its internal structure is compressed and highly simplified, consisting of between eight (8) and twelve (12) pockets linked by muscular tubes dispersed throughout the organism's body that serve as both digestive chambers and storage units for its acid secretions. A network of ganglial tissue lumps linked by strands of nervous tissue is likewise dispersed throughout SCP-XXXX's body, and neither excretory nor reproductive organs are in evidence.
SCP-XXXX 'hunts' by means of spreading itself on a horizontal surface, using its acidic secretion to dissolve a concealing cavity into the surface of sufficient size to rest itself and conceal its edges, and waiting for a prey animal of sufficient size to walk across its upper surface. To aid this, SCP-XXXX has demonstrated an extremely versatile ability to adopt reactive camouflage, recoloring its upper surface to blend in with its surroundings. How the organism is able to reproduce colors and patterns without any detectable visual organs is unknown, but it can do so with significant accuracy, sufficient to replicate (if crudely) a piece of modern artwork placed underneath it. When a prey animal moves atop SCP-XXXX, it springs into motion with a speed uncharacteristic of its typical slow undulations, wrapping itself around the animal and applying severe pressure in a manner similar to certain species of python, crushing the prey to death before swallowing it whole.
As long as it remains fed, SCP-XXXX is relatively docile, requiring up to two (2) days of inactivity to fully digest a 100-kg prey source. It will grow in area at a rate of approximately 1cm^2 per day with consistent feeding, scaling exponentially if supplied with more or less than its minimum necessary diet. If deprived of food entirely, it will shrink to its minimum observed dimensions before entering a completely sessile state. If its dimensions grow to exceed 50 m^2, it will enter a similar sessile state in preparation for division (see Addendum XXXX-2).
Addendum XXXX-1: SCP-XXXX was recovered from the town of ████, █████, after reports were made of individuals disappearing from residential neighborhoods. An eyewitness report of an attack was initially dismissed as hallucination, but Foundation agents were dispatched to investigate and happened to witness another attack. After being subdued with heavy electric current, the organism was transported to Site-██ for storage and testing.
Addendum XXXX-2: █ months after containment was established, SCP-XXXX was observed to enter a highly agitated state, attempting to climb the walls of its chamber five times in succession before ceasing and entering a sessile state. During the period since its capture, the organism had been fed large amounts of prey animals at irregular intervals for the purpose of observation and testing, and had grown to approximately 55m^2. █ hours later, split along its midsection line perpendicular to its long side and creating two organisms of identical size and dimensions. After applying electrical current to both organisms as a precaution, one of the two instances of SCP-XXXX was extracted from the containment chamber for vivisection. Since then, it has divided a total of █ times, in each case following the same conditions and pre-emptive behavior.
