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Article: SCP-333-DE - Bone Seeker

Original: May be found here

Author: Gramlin

Image 1: Created by Gramlin

Image 2:

Filename: Daeodon skull.jpg

Author: Matt Celeskey

License: Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic

Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d5/Daeodon_skull.jpg May be found here

Extracted probe of SCP-333-DE

(Swipe to reveal)

Item #: SCP-333-DE

Object Class: Euclid

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-333-DE-1 entities are to be housed at Site-DE14 in reinforced acrylic glass enclosures sized and outfitted to match the species whose skeletal size they have currently assumed. They should not exceed a temperature of 15 - 20 degrees and fall below a humidity of 80%. The enclosures are to be cleaned once a week, with probes of deceased SCP-333-DE, in addition to dead matter and bone remains being collected and subsequently examined, before being destroyed using cremation.

The entrances into the containment areas are to be illuminated with approximately 30 lux. In case of a containment breach, security personnel is permitted to push the entities back via light sources exceeding 30 lux or flamethrowers or to terminate them. Additionally, fresh bones should ideally be provided as bait or distractor.

Daily feeding occurs through freshly extracted mammal bones, which should be adapted to the entity's current size. Attention should be paid to ensure that recreation of a whole skeleton is always impossible1

Description: SCP-333-DE designates a slime mold (Mycetozoa) with dark-brown to black coloration2 and a consistency similar to tar. Unlike other slime molds, it possesses some sort of intellect and adaptive ability as well as swift reactions and motion speed, usually associated with animals.

SCP-333-DE feeds on bone marrow, cartilage matter, and smaller bone fragments from warm-blooded animals, and despite a preference for fresh fragments, will also search for bone remains in cadavers, excrements, pellets by predatory birds, and other biological waste. After having arrived to a cadaver, SCP-333-DE will cover it in a black secretion, which transforms flesh, fur, organs, and other organic materials into a black mass, secreting over everything not consisting of bone matter. Afterwards, it will coat the bones in a slime layer, and will enter them through the finest pores, cracks, or other openings present in the outer structures, in order to reach and consume the bone marrow inside.

Bones absorbed by the subject remain in a fresh, undamaged state even after millions of years inside the body of SCP-333-DE3, until the subject secrets them out when no more unusable materials are contained therein4.

SCP-333-DE not only utilizes its bones as source of nutrition but also for self-protection, by using broken fragments as a kind of protective coat from enemies5, or by lining them up like thorns or even throwing them at enemies, as defense. It also uses larger bones to retreat6, thereby shielding itself from sun radiation.

An additional ability of SCP-333-DE is demonstrated once it is exposed to a complete and undamaged skeleton of a mammal or bird, which can be actively used by the subject. In this case, SCP-333-DE will stretch over the whole skeleton, using the its bones to imitate the body of the original animal. The bones hereby serve as fundamental structure, while SCP-333-DE is able to imitate tendons, muscles, fibers, and absorbed bone marrow with its slime body. SCP-333-DE utilizes this body for locomotion and active search for more bones it can assimilate, consume, and gather inside its body for self-protection. These bodies are designated SCP-333-DE-1.

Instances of SCP-333-DE-1 show behaviors akin to the animal type whose skeleton it uses, such as movement, eating and hunting behaviors or phonetic formations to lure in potential prey7.

Except through excessive light exposure, however, the subjects do not show any reaction to visual stimuli, but react to movements and smells, especially in the vicinity to potential food sources. Specimens of SCP-333-DE are almost constantly searching for food, and also attack smaller or evenly sized warmbloods to get to their bones. In the process, they use available teeth, claws, or other resources to slay prey. Smaller body parts are swallowed whole as a result, the bones separated from the organic material, and then excreted in their black excretions with unusable bone parts, while bigger bones are neatly separated from the remaining materials and chopped for ease of nutrient absorption. Apart from decomposed organic materials, excrements also contain leftovers of SCP-333-DE, which serves its further spread and can evolve into SCP-333-DE-1, provided enough bones for a complete skeleton are available.

Their bodies are resistant to most conventional weapons, as long as they do not precisely damage the skeleton beneath the slime body. Should bones be damaged in this process, the entity will replace them with new ones while resting, and disposes of the older bones. Due to their heat generation, firearms cause a dissuasive effect, but are not sufficient for complete termination.

The entities are susceptible against light8, intensive drought9 and high temperatures10, which can cause severe damages to the slime body. It is assumed that specimens of SCP-333-DE-1 can only hunt at night with a high humidity. Weaker light sources, such as flashlights, can injure the slime body, whereafter SCP-333-DE-1 specimens react aggressively, and directly attack the source. in case of larger light and heat subjection, for instance by strong illumination or direct day light, specimens of SCP-333-DE-1 retreat into the pores of their bones, where they remain until the external conditions are more favorable for them. Temperatures below freezing point can solidify SCP-333-DE and render it inoperative, but they can regenerate after defrosting. SCP-333-DE are theorized to retreat in bones during the Winter months, where they fall in a kind of hibernation until the temperatures have risen to an acceptable level.

Discovery: The Foundation became aware of SCP-333-DE on the 14/08/2001, when reports accumulated, concerning killed grazing livestock and wildlife near a mountain range south from Bavarian. Notably, the flesh of the cadavers was mostly intact, but the bones were almost completely missing. As wild animal was suspected, a team of MTF DE6 „Big Game Hunters“ was deployed to investigate this phenomenon.

Traces led to a cave that was revealed through a landslide. The team entered the cave and found more cadavers in the inside, before being attacked by SCP-333-DE-1a. Only one of the four expedition members survived the attack of the anomaly, before he could request backup, which could contain SCP-333-DE-1a in the end and transport it to Site-DE6. The surviving agent lost his right leg through the attack, but was stable at the time of the report.

Afterwards, the cave was thoroughly examined, ere all traces were on-site were incinerated via flamethrowers, including the cadaver and remains of SCP-333-DE, whereupon the cave entrance was resealed.

Scientists assume SCP-333-DE has existed inside the cave for several million years, however, due to the low food supply in the form of bones of little rodents, bats, and small predators like martens that lived inside the cave system at that time, kept a rather small form, ere a entelodon got lost inside the cave system and died. The former SCP-333-DE instance found the easy prey and evolved into SCP-333-DE-1a due to the food supply. It stayed imprisoned inside the cave system for millions of years and fed on bones of mammals, which either lived inside the cave or, like the entelodon, got lost inside, ere the cave entrance was blocked off through a stone fall millions of years ago. In recent years, the buried entrance was uncovered through weather conditions, natural rock erosions, and construction work in the near vicinity, which was used by the subject to hunt outside it.

SCP-333-DE-1a, after it has been subjected to light, and SCP-333-DE retreated back into its bones for protection.

List of contained SCP-333-DE-1 specimens

Close addendum

Designation: SCP-333-DE-1a

Skeleton: Entelodon11

State: Housed inside a locked interior enclosure in Site-DE6.

Description: SCP-333-DE-1a was the first specimen discovered and contained by the Foundation. The body possesses a length of around 3 meters, with the skull making up one meter by himself, a shoulder height of 1.65 m and weights of almost 800 kg, whereas the majority of the latter is probably made up of the skeleton and the bone remains inside SCP-333-DE-1a.

Although entelodontidae have been presumed extinct since ca. 23 million years, the bones are in perfect and fresh condition, apart from the total absence of bone marrow, as if the animal itself has recently died.

Samples of SCP-333-DE-1a's excrements also featured bone remains from other animal genera that were considered extinct, such as mammoths, arochs, or cave bears it stored inside itself throughout the time. These remains were in such well conserved form that it even allowed for an extraction of DNA.

The majority of the time, SCP-333-DE-1a moves at a trotting pace, foraging for food, while emitting grunting, squeaking, and roaring sounds. Despite its large skull, it shows great talent in separating bigger bones such as those of the thighs from flesh, as well as crushing it with its powerful jaw. SCP-333-DE-1a is extremely aggressive towards humans and will immediately attack them, but can be easily distracted via fresh, large bones such as the femur bones of catlle or horses. The time gained should be used for escaping.

Designation: SCP-333-DE-1b

Skeleton: Brown rat (Rattus norvegicus)

State: Housed in a containment terrarium at Site-DE6.

Description: SCP-333-DE-1b was inside the containment cell of SCP-333-DE-1a, located during the fifth cleaning of its enclosure. Researchers assume that there was an error in the food specifications, and SCP-333-DE-1a, instead of the usual single bones, a whole dead rat, swallowed by it and excreted the skeleton later on.

SCP-333-DE-1b shows a behavioral pattern similar to typical brown rats, but attacks the latter directly, in order to kill it and access its bones, which it crushes using its sharp teeth.

Designation: SCP-333-DE-1c

Skeleton: Carrion crow (Corvus corone))

State: Housed inside an acrylic glass aviary in Site-DE18.

Description: SCP-333-DE-1c was the result of an experiment involving SCP-333-DE-1a being offered a whole carrion crow skeleton, which it consumed wholely. Due to missing feathers it cannot create at own accord, SCP-333-DE-1c is unable to fly, but can move by jumping and climbing, and communicate via croaking sounds typical for its species. SCP-333-DE-1c shows crow-level intelligence, for instance by using tools or dropping bones to open them more easily and reach their contents. Furthermore, it is of interest to researchers because it has been adapted by SCP-333-DE, despite, as all birds, lacking bone marrow and therefore possessing no nutritional value for SCP-333-DE.

Designation: SCP-333-DE-1d

Skeleton: Lesser mouse-eared bat (Mytios blythii), then house mouse (Mus musculus)

State: Initial skeleton incinerated after disconnection and subsequent examination, current body contained inside an acrylic glass terrarium in Site-DE14.

Description: SCP-333-DE-1d was the result of an experiment, in which SCP-333-DE-1a was provided with the skeleton of a small lesser mouse-eared bat, which it consumed and later excreted. SCP-333-DE-1d could generate a thin membrane of SCP-333-DE masse that it could use for short gliding flights. However, a whole flight was impossible, in return it could move on walls or other objects vertically. But it could not use the tiny teeth originally designed for consumption of soft insects to sufficiently damage bones. It was offered the skeleton of a house mouse, which was more fitting for breaking bones due to their harder teeth. SCP-333-DE-1d took over the mouse's skeleton and left the untarnished skeleton of the bat behind. This could indicate that SCP-333-DE has a kind of basic intelligence and prefers skeletons most effectively for its search for food.

Designation: SCP-333-DE-1e

Skeleton: German Shepherd (Canis lupus familiaris)

State: Terminated via incineration.

Description: In order to test possible conditioning for SCP-333-DE, a trained shepherd was inserted into the enclosure of SCP-333-DE-1a. The dog reacted frightened and attempted to escape from the enclosure, but was killed by SCP-333-DE-1a, consumed, and the skeleton re-excreted by SCP-333-DE-1e later on.

After SCP-333-DE-1a and -1e were separated and transferred into different enclosures, agent Kalinov, who was trusted with training the dog, was isolated by the security glass that led into the enclosure to test the obedience of SCP-333-DE-1e. SCP-333-DE-1e at least seemed to understand simple orders like „sit“ or „sound“, and performed them properly.

The agent, who had a strong emotional bond with the dog, thereupon theorized that its consciousness is still present inside the subject and opened, despite the researcher's warnings and intervention through security force, the enclosure door and entered the enclosure. However, as the agent subsequently approached SCP-333-DE-1e, it exhibited aggressive behavior and attacked the agent by jumping at her and throughbiting a part of her throat. Afterwards, it attempted to open the dying agent's chest via its teeth and claws to reach the rib bones. This was prevented in time by the security forces present, who had previously remained in the background, by means of flamethrowers. SCP-333-DE-1e thereto attacked them, but was terminated through incineration. The scientists assume that SCP-333-DE is an opportunistic predator and capable of acquiring the memories of its prey, adapting them to find prey more easily. How it achieves this despite lacking a function brain or neural pathways is currently unknown.

Designation: SCP-333-DE-1h12

Skeleton: Kangal shephered dog (Canis lupus familaris), two cats (Felis Catus) beforehand.

State: Kept inside a containment enclosure of Site-DE14. Skeletons of SCP-333-DE-1f and SCP-333-DE-1g integrated by SCP-333-DE-1h.

Description: SCP-333-1a was provided with two compete cat cadavers, which it consumed and later excreted to create SCP-333-DE-1f and -1g. Both were subsequently separated by SCP-333-DE-1a and transported in an test area, where it was offered the cadaver of an kangal shephered dog13. The goal of this experiment was to determine if rivaling behavior could arise between the SCP-333-DE-1 instances.

SCP-333-DE-1f and -1g approached the cadaver and examined it, before beginning to break the cadaver open with their claws and teeth. As the first bones exposed, the SCP-333-DE masse detached from the original skeleton, both merged and invaded the uncovered bones. Shortly thereafter, a large masse formed around the cadaver, which it fully encased and disconnected the bones from the rest of the body. The resulting SCP-333-DE-1h erected itself and regurgitated a huge lump of SCP-333-DE as well as fur, flesh and viscera. Afterwards, it ate the former skeletons of SCP-333-DE-1f and SCP-333-DE-1g and scoured the test area for more food. It was later transferred into its current containment.

Designation: SCP-333-DE-1!

Skeleton: D-6336, female, 28 years, 1.65 m tall, died after an incident with SCP-███-DE.

State: Terminated via incineration.

Description: See interview protocol.

Interview protocol SCP-333-DE-1i from the 02/09/2003

Close addendum

Interviewed: SCP-333-DE-1i, former D-6336

Interviewee: Dr. Dirk

Foreword: A request was proposed to use the deceased body of D-6336 to create a human SCP-333-DE-1 instance, in hope of gaining further knowledge about SCP-333-DE. The request was accepted by the O5 Council and the corpse was delivered to SCP-333-DE-1a, which completely consumed it, and excreted her skeleton as well as the other organic remains in SCP-333-DE slime. The skeleton was fully covered in SCP-333-DE and viable. However, the subject lacked all other external body features not directly connected to the skeleton, such as eyes, hair, ears, breasts, and lips. But it was capable of erection, locomotion, and imitation of the human language. The interview was held inside a security cell of the site, with Dr. Dirk and the subject being separated by a partition wall.

<Begin Protocol>

SCP-333-DE-1i: The subject walks seemingly searching across its cell.

Dr. Dirk: D-6336, can you understand me?

SCP-333-DE-1i: The subject pauses, as it hears Dr. Dirk's voice. Hello! Hello! Here! Hello!

Dr. Dirk: We hear you, D-6336. How are you?

SCP-333-DE-1i: Help! Here! Help! Here! The subject strolls towards the partition wall, seemingly following the voice of Dr. Dirk.

Dr. Dirk: Can you not see me? I'm here! We want to help you.

SCP-333-DE-1i: The subject approached the glass, but remains once it can no longer sense the voice of Dr. Dirk. Hello! Help! Here! Help! Here! Here! Where?

Dr. Dirk: Answer, D-6336! What's your condition? How are you?

SCP-333-DE-1i: The subject follows the voice, but bumps into the glass, on which it lays its hand. Here! Where? Help! Where? Here! Here!

Dr. Dirk: D-6336, answer!

SCP-333-DE-1i: The subject touches the glass, appearing to scan it, before punching it with clenched fists. HERE! HELP! HERE! HERE! WHERE? HERE! HELP! HELP! HERE! HELLO! HELLO!

Dr. Dirk: D-6336! Immediately retreat!

SCP-333-DE-1i: The subject punches against the glass with full force, using both its hands and head, as if wanting to reach Dr. Dirk. HERE! HELP! HERE! FRIEND! HELP! HERE! HELLO! HELLO! HERE! HERE!

Dr. Dirk: I think we are not getting anywhere here.

<End Protocol>

Afterword: The interview was cancelled after a conversation proved impossible due to the subject's behavior. It is hypothesized that SCP-333-DE-1 instances can certainly imitate the sounds of the host skeleton, but these consist solely of typical decoy and helping calls to lure in potential prey, but not to establish an actual conversation. SCP-333-DE-1i had probably seen Dr. Dirk as his prey and wanted to attract him with its sounds, in order to slay him and reach the bones. The subject was incinerated after the interview.

Footnotes

1. Meaning the skeleton possesses a majority of the original, undamaged bones and is completely capable of locomotion.

2. Depending on the age of the fungus body.

3. see the report about SCP-333-DE-1a

4. Currently, the Foundation's medical department is investigating ways to use the discharged secretions to regenerate damaged bones and prevent signs of aging on them.

5. Similar to the cases by caddisflies.

6. Similar to a snail shell of a hermit crab.

7. How it is able to create this despite lacking vocal organs is subject of further research.

8. From a strength of around 30 lux.

9. Humidity under 50%

10. Approximately 27 °C

11. Prehistoric predecessor of the modern pigs, lived during the oligocene, around 34 - 23 million years ago in Europe.

12. Once SCP-333-DE-1f and SCP-333-DE-1g

13. This dog breed was chosen as it possesses the strongest biting force of all dog breeds and is therefore capable of biting through stronger bones. Such a cadaver was presumed to inhibit a tempting effect on SCP-333-DE-1 instances.