Item #: SCP-3227

Object Class: Euclid

Special Containment Procedures: Approximately 1000 kg of live insects with high alkaline content and/or small animals are to be dropped into SCP-3227 on a bi-monthly basis via helicopter or drone. Instances of SCP-3227 are to be encompassed by electric fence and monitored at all times by security personnel, maintaining a distance of at least one kilometer from SCP-3227. Under no circumstances are humans to enter SCP-3227 without proper equipment. Due to the nature of SCP-3227, authorization to conduct research directly will only be granted in the week prior to the bi-monthly feeding. Should there be any issue with the harvesting equipment, repairs must be scheduled during the week prior to the bi-monthly feeding.

Description: SCP-3227 is a 3x3 kilometer portion of jungle originally located on the East coast of Madagascar which is made entirely of the skin of the Dendrobatidae1, colloquially known as the poison dart frog. The color of skin matches the natural color of the flora that it mimics. However, small black patterns that match those of the poison dart frog can still be seen. SCP-3227 is believed to be a single living organism, though the biology of SCP-3227 is unknown as attempts to cut deeper than one meter into SCP-3227 have been consistently met with failure due to the increased toxicity of SCP-3227's deeper layers. Extreme decay of living and nonliving matter occurs when exposed to the toxins that reside one meter or deeper within SCP-3227. The toxicity of SCP-3227's interior has proven constant regardless of when it was last fed.

Within SCP-3227, while there is nothing that resembles the fauna of Madagascar, a variety of flora both native and alien to the Madagascan rainforest can be found. While these 'plants' also consist entirely of poison dart frog skin, their toxicity levels tend to be significantly lower the farther from the ground it is. It is due to that discovery that samples taken of SCP-3227 tend to come from the top of its trees.

SCP-3227's toxins work much in the same way as do those of the poison dart frogs. The toxicity of the skin reflects the amount of alkaloids that it takes in, most commonly through insects. Being cut off from its natural environment, SCP-3227 would slowly die without bi-monthly feedings. Creatures that are killed by SCP-3227 die from over-exposure of alkaline toxins, and proceed to rapidly decay into SCP-3227. When creatures with high alkaline content are consumed by SCP-3227, it results in SCP-3227's skin becoming more toxic than before. However, after approximately one month without consuming any alkaloids, SCP-3227's toxicity will begin to wane.

For larger creatures, such as humans, SCP-3227's toxins cease being deadly on contact after a month and a half without feeding. Instead, direct contact with the toxins from SCP-3227 will only cause a burning sensation. However, prolonged exposure without proper equipment will result in sickness, fatigue, paralysis, and eventually death.

SCP-3227, while normally docile, is able to protect itself or trap fleeing prey when aggravated. SCP-3227's primary mode of defense is through releasing concentrated toxins. If that fails, it is also able to use an appendage closely resembling the tongue of a frog. In emergencies, SCP-3227 will open a large amount of small holes on the ground, plants, and trees, where multiple frog tongues are able to shoot out. One tongue that was severed during incident XX47-B was measured at 15 meters in length, and microscopic analysis revealed millions of small needles containing alkaloid toxins covering the tongues surface. When provoked, up to thousands of tongues have been reported to emerge and weave a web around their target, immobilizing and poisoning them.

Since the discovery of SCP-3227, the Foundation has used the alkaline toxins that secrete from SCP-3227 for numerous projects. The alkaloids have been extremely useful in the creation of amnestics, as well as biological weapons and assisting in the containment of various other SCPs. While containment is a top priority for SCP-3227, the Foundation has also made it a top priority to utilize SCP-3227 to its maximum potential. Currently, Dr. Martin is leading a research effort to establish a large scale farming operation for SCP-3227 on Site-118.

SCP-3227 was originally discovered in 1967 by a group of independent researchers who wandered into the jungle in search of new species of fauna. Locals avoided the area due to the mysterious deaths that occurred within it, which lead the researchers to believe that the deaths were due to an undiscovered species. Of the twelve that entered, only five managed to escape. Those researchers were discovered by the Foundation and were subsequently brought in for questioning.

In 1972, while a sample of SCP-3227 was being brought to Site-118 via airplane along with several other Euclid class SCPs, there was an incident that resulted in a crash above the Talladega National Forest in Alabama. Although the other SCPs were recovered successfully, the sample of SCP-3227 was not found. Five years later, reports of hikers going missing in the area near the crash led to a secondary investigation. It was discovered that the sample of SCP-3227 had managed to survive the crash and grow in the Talladega National Forest, and was the exact size of the original. This instance of SCP-3227 contained all the same species of flora as the original. Attempts to remove this instance of SCP-3227 were initially met with failure and numerous casualties, however, the Foundation succeeded in removing SCP-3227 through the use of firebombs in July, 1978. Following this incident, humans were forbidden to interact with SCP-3227 in any destructive manner2.

+ Exploration Log 49B2A

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Conducted May 12th, 1973

Description: Lead Researcher Arslan instructed seven D-Class personnel to attempt to cut down several of the trees within SCP-3227, and one additional D-Class to attempt to dig into SCP-3227. Each D-Class is armed with an axe, as well as a protective suit and gas mask. The D-Class with the task of digging was given a shovel. They were given two hours to make as much progress as they could, and were then instructed to return from SCP-3227 after the time had elapsed. They were instructed not to go too deep into SCP-3227 so that researchers could maintain visual contact with them through binoculars.

Result: As soon as the D-Class personnel began to chop at SCP-3227, concentrated toxins began to leak into the air. The protective suits that the researchers had provided for the D-Class didn't appear to be adequate in stopping SCP-3227's toxin. The D-Class who struck at SCP-3227 collapsed after only a few seconds of exposure. One of the D-Class in the area, designated as D-231, witnessed this and ran back to the rendezvous point. The D-Class assigned to dig into SCP-3227, designated D-175, failed his task as the shovel wasn't capable of digging into SCP-3227. All D-Class personnel, except for D-231 and D-175, were poisoned and subsequently consumed by SCP-3227.

Researcher's Notes: Dr. Arslan expressed disappointment in his inability to retrieve a sample of SCP-3227, but was optimistic about future projects. Dr Arslan and the rest of his research team concluded that, with proper protection that utilized oxygen tanks, it would be entirely possible to obtain small samples of SCP-3227.

+ Incident XX47-B

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Date: June 19th, 1978.

Incident Report: In the first attempt to remove the secondary instance of SCP-3227 from the Talladega National Forrest, ten Foundation agents who had been equipped with full protection suits and flamethrowers were sent to remove the instance. Due to numerous factors, the mission failed. One agent, Agent Maglow, managed to escape and reach the rendezvous point. Agent Maglow was commended for his bravery and service, however, the other nine members of his team were never recovered.

The fire that resulted from their collective efforts had eliminated approximately 30% of this secondary instance of SCP-3227. However, it would take another month for the instance of SCP-3227 to be completely removed. When it was, researchers were unable to discover anything specific about the biology of SCP-3227, as it had been completely incinerated in the aftermath.

+ Interview Log XX47-B

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On August 8th, 1978, Agent Maglow was interviewed by Dr. Arslan regarding Incident XX47-B. Only the interviews audio was recorded.

Begin Audio Recording

Dr. Arslan: Hello, Agent Maglow, my apologies for keeping you waiting.

Dr. Arslan is heard sitting down, as well as laying papers onto a desk.

Agent Maglow: Hey, doc. No problem.

Dr. Arslan: You don't seem very chatty today, now do you? Would you like to reschedule the interview for some other time?

Agent Maglow: No, no it's fine. I'd rather just get this over with so I don't have to think about it anymore.

Dr. Arslan: That's the spirit! So, you've had more intimate experience with SCP-3227 than anyone else, so what I'd like to know…

Agent Maglow: … Well, we went in to kill the thing, right? First, it might help if you briefed us better for shit like this. Also, there wasn't much synergy in the team. I only knew Doug and Jonas, we'd worked together a lot in the past, so we stuck together. The rest just went off and did their own thing.

Dr. Arslan: Well, teams are made based off of recommendation and service records. As for the briefing, we told you men everything we knew at the time. That's why you and me are doing this. To find out more, so there are no more incidents like the last one.

Agent Maglow: Well… Whatever. If that's what you're worried about, I'll skip ahead a bit. Doug, Jonas and I had been burning away at some of the trees and shit for maybe fifteen minutes, not too long. The flames weren't spreading like the researchers said they would, so we were getting antsy. So, we left that area to get started on another one. That's when those… Tongues, or whatever the fuck those things are started popping out of the woodwork.

At this point, Agent Maglow takes a long pause.

Agent Maglow: They hit Doug first. It happened quick, and there were a lot of them. He didn't even have time to defend himself, they just ripped right through him. I mean, like a big, concentrated group of them. Wasn't just one. Then, a bunch of the tongues wrapped his body up and pinned it to the ground. I don't think that the tongues knew that they killed him. I backed up, trying to figure out what the fuck was happening. Jonas ran over to try and get Doug out of there. I yelled over to tell him to forget it, and that we needed to run. But…

Agent Maglow takes another long pause.

Agent Maglow: It didn't do any good. The tongues grabbed his arms and legs and pulled him down hard, breaking his helmet. Soon as that happened, I knew the poison would get him in a few minutes. I turned and ran for the burnt up part, last thing I heard was Jonas throwing up. Poison I guess… Anyways, the thing got me just before I made it to the burnt part. I only had to deal with two of the tongues. One grabbed my leg from far away, and another opened up in the ground right next to me as I tripped, wrapping around my body. Lucky me, the thing missed my right arm, so I could get my knife out. Barely managed to cut that tongue that I gave you guys off, that thing was tough. Soon as I did, I shot the flamethrower at the tongue on my leg.

Dr. Arslan: You shot your own leg with the flamethrower?

Agent Maglow: No, no I shot the tongue. It was far away so I shot past my leg at the tongue.

Dr. Arslan: Ah, I see. Please continue.

Agent Maglow: That's about it. I grabbed the tongue and burnt a path outta there from the area we already burned. That's what happened.

Dr. Arslan: I see, thank you for that report, then. I have one question, though. How do you think that those tongues were so accurate in hitting you and your comrades? Was it the pressure on the ground, or something else?

Agent Maglow: Well, at first I thought that was it. The pressure. But when I hit the ground, I saw something where the tongue was coming out. Something that I thought I saw in the other ones that hit Doug and Jonas too.

Dr. Arslan: You saw something in the holes?

Agent Maglow: Yeah.

Dr. Arslan: Well, what was it?

Agent Maglow: There were eyes. Lots and lots of eyes. Tiny little ones, all over. They were completely black, but I could see the light from the fire reflecting off them. They were all over the place. If you ask me, they were watching us the whole damn time.

Both Agent Maglow and Dr. Arslan are silent for a few moments.

Dr. Arslan: I see. Thank you very much for this interview, it's been quite informative.

End Audio Recording

Note: Following this interview, further attempts to cause large scale harm to SCP-3227 were forbidden.

Footnotes

1. Specifically, the Phyllobates terribilis

2. See Interview Log XX47-B