SCP-4189

Item #: SCP-4189

Object Class: Keter

Special Containment Procedures: Satellite monitoring systems are to report any coral or geologic aberrations in the northern quarter of the Great Barrier Reef. Once SCP-4189 is precisely located, analog torpedoes are to be fired at it, with surviving SCP-4189 fragments recontained and brought to the nearest Site.

Description: SCP-4189 is a sapient coral colony approximately 450 meters in radius, located in the Great Barrier Reef.

SCP-4189 is composed of over 100 various species of coral. Additionally, many sections of coral are in fact hybrids of two or more coral species, despite most of these hybrids being ordinarily considered biologically impossible. These hybrid polyps, which grow irregularly across SCP-4189, are composed of a mix of cells of the various species. SCP-4189 polyps are lined with chromatophores (similar to those of cephalopods) and neuron-like structures that link them to the rest of the colony, creating a singular hive-mind.

SCP-4189 is capable of influencing the surrounding water through various means; these include altering the local pH, absorbing or releasing dissolved minerals, influencing the reproduction rate of plankton, and creating localized areas of colder or warmer water. Due to these manipulations, SCP-4189 has cultivated an unusually diverse ecosystem surrounding it, with as many as 350 species of sea creature living within it.

When a new species enters SCP-4189's vicinity, SCP-4189 will sprout a larger polyp, and use it to consume a member of the new species. Radioisotope testing shows the biomass of the animal is completely disseminated through SCP-4189's polyps. Once this occurs, SCP-4189 exerts a limited control over members of that species in proximity to it. Human divers subject to SCP-4189's influence report SCP-4189 communicating with them telepathically.

SCP-4189 shares sensory input with controlled creatures. When either the creature or SCP-4189 is disturbed, SCP-4189 changes color to orange and purple, then dispatches other organisms to attack the intruder.

SCP-4189 is growing at a rate of approximately 1 square meter per week. SCP-4189's growth is suppressed mainly by the recent proliferation of crown-of-thorns starfish who feed on it and other coral. Analysis suggests that the toxins present in the spines of these starfish disrupt SCP-4189's control, preventing it from deploying predators to consume the starfish.

Addendum - 06/19/2018: During a routine use of underwater REGGIE drones1 to eliminate crown-of-thorns starfish from nonanomalous coral reefs approximately 0.3 km away, a drone malfunctioned and sank to the bottom, whereupon a group of cuttlefish brought it to SCP-4189.

SCP-4189 ingested the drone with one of its polyps, and changed colors erratically for several minutes. During this time, many of the animals under its control experienced severe seizures. Following this, SCP-4189 became inert, and the surviving fish ceased symptoms and left the area.

52 hours later, SCP-4189 reactivated, violently ejecting its polyps and growing new ones. These new polyps emitted a radio signal that caused all REGGIE drones in the area to surround SCP-4189, become covered in coral growths, and attack all crown-of-thorns starfish nearby.

SCP-4189 then manifested several dozen legs made of coral, lifted itself off the sea floor, and began walking southwest.

Footnotes

1. A Foundation model based heavily on the Queensland University of Technology's COTSBot.