SCP-1565 in the Hellas Planitia

Item #: SCP-1565

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures: Due to their isolated location and self-containing nature, direct containment of SCP-1565 has been deemed infeasible and unnecessary.

Foundation elements embedded in space agencies are to redirect all planned Martian exploration missions at least 10 km from SCP-1565. Any satellite images possibly revealing the existence of SCP-1565 are to be edited accordingly.

Description: SCP-1565 denotes a group of 37 common snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) residing within an irregularly shaped area on Hellas, the largest impact crater on Mars. SCP-1565 instances are visually indistinguishable from nonanomalous snapping turtles, but exhibit several differences in behavior:

SCP-1565 instances neither require nutrition, nor excrete waste.

SCP-1565 instances show no signs of aging.

SCP-1565 instances are capable of 'swimming' into and beneath the Martian surface.

Every 119 days, SCP-1565 instances arrange themselves in an inward-facing triangular array, then disperse.

SCP-1565 instances are nearly impervious to damage, except from SCP-1565-A (see Addendum).

SCP-1565-A is a translucent green barrier surrounding the area containing the SCP-1565 instances. SCP-1565-A is impervious to gases and maintains an internal atmosphere of 65% sulfur dioxide, 29% carbon dioxide, and 6% argon. SCP-1565-A fluctuates in shape, and has been shrinking by approximately 0.012% per decade.

SCP-1565 instances have been recorded diving as deep as 600 m beneath the Martian surface. Sensors attached to these instances detected the presence of large corroded subterranean metal structures.

Initial attempts to further examine these ruins were hampered by SCP-1565 instances diving down and blocking probes with their shells. Following restraint of the SCP-1565 instances, probes determined the metal structures to be the remains of large spires carved with intricate reliefs of turtle-like shapes. Electronic interference caused by high amounts of radiation emitted from below the spires' bases prevented further exploration.

Addendum 1565-01: After applying a force exceeding 100 kN to an instance of SCP-1565 (as part of an attempt to remove it from SCP-1565-A), its shell was shattered and its body dismembered.

Analysis revealed that the SCP-1565 instance contained a secondary internal casing underneath its shell, housing the vital organs. This casing is designated SCP-1565-B, and replaces the spine and ribs expected in nonanomalous turtles. SCP-1565-B is composed of a lead-cadmium-beryllium layered composite, designed to block ionizing radiation. It includes several electronic components, some of which are responsible for SCP-1565's preservation, as well as a receiver antenna and a green, crystalline great dodecahedron acting as data storage.

During routine testing, illuminating one specific face of the crystal with X-rays generated a holographic image depicting the surface of Mars in detail (albeit inaccurately; the image was missing most of Mars' impact craters) with 47 bright points scattered across its surface. One point corresponds to SCP-1565-A's location; exploration of the remaining locations is pending approval.