Item #: SCP-1515

Object Class: Euclid

Special Containment Procedures: Currently the only known population of SCP-1515 is being kept in Nature Reserve 12, an extended territory of Site 32, located 39 kilometers (24 miles) east of Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia. Any instances of SCP-1515 discovered outside of NR 12's perimeter are to be exterminated. A version of SCP-027 is currently under development to assist in containment of captive instances.

Description: SCP-1515 is a rodent seemingly related to Pedetes capensis (the springhare). SCP-1515 differs slightly in physiology, possessing sharper, longer claws than the springhare and larger teeth. SCP-1515 also displays behaviour inconsistent with the springhare, as detailed below.

Upon encountering another placental mammal in the first trimester of pregnancy, SCP-1515 will begin to viciously attack the subject, using its large teeth to sever the spine through the back of the neck, causing paralysis in the victim1. SCP-1515 generally approaches in packs of 5, which will crowd around the target before one instance emits a loud chirping, which signals the beginning of the process of disabling and extraction. SCP-1515 will then perform a procedure similar to a caesarean section using its long claws, wherein it will remove the foetus from the mother's womb and place it in its expanding cheeks. SCP-1515 will then gnaw off the skin of the still living mother into thick sheets, which it sews together through the use of sharpened bones and sinew (again from the mother). Once the patches of skin have been sewn into a "pouch", SCP-1515 will stitch the edges of the "pouch" against its abdomen. SCP-1515 will then place the foetus in its pouch and leave the area. SCP-1515 have been known to 'share' the foetus amongst the group once it has been extracted. This behavior is consistent among males and females and takes an average of 3 hours to complete.2

The foetus has invariably died from this procedure. SCP-1515 will leave the rotting foetus in its pouch until it and the pouch have completely decayed. SCP-1515 has been known to die from severe infection because of this.

In the case that there is not a sufficient amount of organic matter in the foetus available to all members of SCP-1515 to 'share', brief, or long and ritualized fights are carried out among them. Instances of SCP-1515 hunting in pairs do not usually initiate this behavior, instead each instance of SCP-1515 will grab the foetus by one end and begin to pull until it is either split or emancipated from a respective SCP-1515 instance.

First instances of SCP-1515 were discovered in small colonies near Alice Springs, an area not usually inhabited by the springhare (a native of southern Africa).

SCP-1515 reproduces normally.

Footnotes

1. The paralysis of the subject as opposed to the severance of the jugular vein is suspected to be a behavioural adaption, so that blood flow may continue to the foetus

2. This procedure does not appear to fulfill any evolutionary purpose and is detrimental to SCP-1515's survival. The reasons for this behaviour are unknown, and are the reason for SCP-1515's anomalous classification, being in direct contradiction with evolutionary theory.