Junior Researcher Jamie retrieving an escaped tame SCP-4644 instance.

A wild SCP-4644 instance; altitude estimated at 1,700 meters.

Item #: SCP-4644
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures: A Foundation outpost (Outpost 4644) has been established near the Kuroshima Research Station of the Sea Turtle Association of Japan, and equipped with three large open-air aviaries for SCP-4644 containment.
Traditional Japanese butsudan1 are to be housed and maintained in each aviary. Each shrine is to be accompanied by portraits of deceased marine scientists or other environmentalists from the local area who have contributed to pollution reduction and marine life population research.
Foundation seacraft stationed near the Japanese islands are to report any new SCP-4644 sightings to Outpost 4644. New instances of SCP-4644 that reach the outpost are to be greeted by the research team and directed to one of the aviaries. Any other spotted wild SCP-4644 instances are to be captured and transferred to Outpost 4644, with care taken to avoid damage or stress.
At the conclusion of the annual sea turtle nesting season, all captive SCP-4644 instances are to be released into the open air. Following the mating activities, Foundation personnel are to collect any remains of the SCP-4644 instances, and store these materials at Outpost 4644 for further analysis.
Non-anomalous turtles manifested as a result of SCP-4644 are to be counted for records-keeping, and allowed to return to the waters they were spawned near.

Side-by-side comparison of male (left) and female (right) SCP-4644 instances, with elder (clear) coloration.

Description: SCP-4644 is the collective designation for a population of anomalous kites capable of autonomous movement. All SCP-4644 instances possess the shape of a rokkaku (hexagonal) kite, with matured "adults" reaching up to 2 meters in length. SCP-4644 instances theorized to be males (based on observed behaviors) reach a length of 6 meters including their decorative tails. Newly manifested SCP-4644 instances possess a more opaque and clouded coloration than older instances. By stretching and contracting their thin skin-like covering, SCP-4644 can manipulate their overall body shape, allowing them to maneuver through air currents and reaching altitudes of over 2,000 meters.
SCP-4644 individuals do not appear to require sleep, and have a substantial level of intelligence, as tamed instances are able to recognize the faces of their caretakers and respond well to recall training. The majority of an SCP-4644 instance's daily routine consists of sunning itself while perched at a high location and lifting off for short gliding flights. It is noted that with more time spent in open air, the semi-translucent covering of SCP-4644 instances gradually becomes clearer and more transparent.
The first Foundation sighting of an SCP-4644 instance was in June of 1970. Based on observation accounts, it is believed that new SCP-4644 manifest directly from the waters surrounding the Japanese islands, typically in areas of concentrated ocean pollution debris. The SCP-4644 instances will then gradually seek out other members of a group to travel with until they reach a landmass with a Buddhist shrine. Charted flight patterns indicate that SCP-4644 appear to exhibit a preference for shrines in rural areas with lower rates of average air pollution, and will attempt to avoid industrialized areas.

Close view of young (clouded) adult male SCP-4644.

During the months of June through October, SCP-4644 instances will leave the land and congregate over open water. Male and female pairs will perform an aerial courtship dance, and will ascend to a higher altitude while parallel to each other and in a spiraling and synchronized manner. During this event, the covering of both SCP-4644 instances becomes almost completely transparent. Due to the extreme height and infrequent mating, what transpires afterwards is unknown. Captured instances will not exhibit this behavior inside the containment aviaries.

Non-anomalous turtle produced by SCP-4644 instances.

Approximately 1 hour after the initial ascent, both the male and female SCP-4644 will rapidly fall to the shoreline. Closer examinations of the crash sites have recovered pieces of high-density polyethylene plastic, fragments of decayed turtle shell scutes, and a torn scrap of an omamori2 paper talisman. Within the next hour, two to eight hatchling Hawksbill sea turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) will emerge from the same area of sand and make their way towards the open ocean. These turtles have been confirmed to be non-anomalous.
Currently, researchers at Outpost 4644 have collected enough omamori scraps from SCP-4644 remains to create a rough reconstruction of the full paper talisman. Based on their design, the charms carry the kanai-anzen focus, for "safety or well-being of one's family and peace and prosperity in the household", as well as a woodblock signature bearing the kanji 龍神 (Ryūjin), the name of the mythological Japanese guardian deity of the sea.

Footnotes
1. Shrines associated with Japanese Buddhist cultures, commonly found in temples and homes and used to pay respects to family members who have passed away.
2. A Japanese amulet commonly sold at Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, dedicated to particular Shinto kami (worshiped spirits or phenomena embodying elements of the landscape, forces of nature, or the qualities that these beings express) as well as Buddhist figures, and said to provide various forms of luck or protection.

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