Item #: SCP-5949

Object Class: Keter

Special Containment Procedures: Refer to Project SEVENSEAS Quarterly Report – March 2021

Description: SCP-5949 is a species of megafauna first observed in the early 1970s. SCP-5949 specimens are cuboid organisms averaging three meters in height and frontal width. Juvenile members of the species are typically six meters in length, with the largest known adult specimen reaching twice that. A diverse array of patterns and colorations is present across the species.

Specimens are believed to be asexual, and reproductive habits of any kind have yet to be observed. Internal organs are akin to those found in crabs and lobsters, albeit relative to the large size of an SCP-5949 instance. The outer shell of SCP-5949 is similarly crustacean in makeup, though with a texture and integrity similar to that of steel.

SCP-5949 is one of several recently1-observed species displaying what the Foundation recognises as “bio-adjacent” evolutionary characteristics; a natural ability to blend in with and exploit human-made infrastructure, most notably systems which operate on a scale analogous to ecological biospheres.2

Despite lacking limbs or appendages to facilitate motion3, SCP-5949 relies on symbiosis with the workings of international logistics to maintain a nomadic lifestyle. Uncontained specimens experience a state of perpetual, global migration.

At present, the worldwide population of SCP-5949 is estimated to be between four and seven thousand.

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2021/03/03

Let’s get one thing straight – we’re all very embarrassed about the underestimation. “Where are they all coming from?” Well, I mean, we’re talking creatures here which are rather like crustaceans in terms of how they’re… constituted. The geometric cousins of crustaceans that we’ve had to purchase god knows how many cranes to lift. So, to answer your query, probably the sea. Just a hunch, as a marine biologist.

But about those numbers… yeah, ouch. We didn’t half muck that up. Just add about three more noughts to the initial prediction and you should have closer to a realistic figure. What we’re looking at here is possibly the most prolific spread of anomalous fauna since Foundation records began.

We’re running a thousand acres of provisional facility here and we’re almost at full capacity. There’s a few hundred new specimens coming in tomorrow, and that’ll pretty much have to be it. I’ve been in contact with my Dutch counterparts and they might just be able to co-opt a few square miles near Rotterdam by next week. That should cover European containment for another month or two, but then we’ll have to start considering our other options again. All credit where it’s due, the International cooperation has been fantastic so far. The facility the Saudi Arabian branch managed to acquire has been a huge help - though, again, space is getting pretty tight. I can attest the same for China, Japan, Australia… we're investigating a few potential sightings at an Antarctic research station, and if that's the case then they'll have made it to all seven continents. At least it's easier to hide a mass-containment facility there, I suppose.

I can’t help wondering, though – about all this money, all these spontaneous large-scale infrastructure projects. Long-term, we might have to just do the unthinkable and start nipping this species in the bud. Ostensibly, sure, it’s a harmless anomaly with a natural propensity to… not particularly mess with the Veil. But in the long run, if they keep popping up out of who-knows-where, resources might start to really get stretched.

And that’s not even broaching the fact that this kind of evolutionary pattern might become all the more common. This is nature on global commercialism – think of it along the lines of oneiroi, or a sapient entity borne out of nothing but cyberspace.

To be honest, that’s pretty much it for this quarter. I’ll send over a few shots of the Arabian facility, in case you haven't seen it already.

Dr. Nick Iqbal, Provisional Site-45B

Felixstowe, United Kingdom

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Faunal containment facility operated by the Foundation's Saudi Arabia branch.

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Typical adult SCP-5949 specimen.

Footnotes

1. Within the latter half-century.

2. Examples of such self-perpetuating systems include geoeconomics, international trade, and the synergy of internet media.

3. SCP-5949 specimens appear inanimate to individuals unaware of their anomalous nature.