Item #: SCP-EQ-003
Object Class: Euclid Keter
Special Containment Procedures: SCP-EQ-003 is to be kept in a standard outdoor enclosure. A three (3) millimeter wire mesh is to be built into a canopy around the enclosure and checked for wear and tear once an hour. The ground of the enclosure should be stripped of plant life to the bare earth and checked for growth biweekly. One (1) standard food ration per twenty five specimens, to a maximum of eight (8) rations, are to be supplied three times a day. As of event TS-110, SCP-EQ-003-beta are to be kept in a magic sphere continuously maintained by six (6) unicorns guards whose special talent is shielding or defense related. Guards are to be put on rotation shifts so that two are on active duty at all times. One (1) 50 kilogram block of wood per fifty specimens, to a maximum of four (4) blocks, are to be supplied twice daily.
Record players should be placed at regular intervals around the enclosure to ensure overlap sound does not produce cacophony. A selection of carnival calliope records are to be continuously played and rotated out weekly. Should a failure compromise the record players, Foundation staff trained in a standard collection of percussion and wood wind instruments much perform until suitable replacements are acquired.
Should a colony of SCP-EQ-003 be discovered, MTF Iota-7 (Pest Ponies) will be dispatched to the scene via long range teleportation. MTF Iota-7 will provide standard musical practices to subdue the colony while agents use heavy duty vacuum devices attached to non-soundproof plastic containers to collect specimens. Procedure Tau-3519 is to be employed to determine the specific strain prior to arrival at Site __.
Description: SCP-EQ-003 are a unique insectoid species, tentatively classified as a subspecies of drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly). SCp-EQ-003 possesses a spherical body lacking any visible segments, a standard pair of forewings and hindwings, and four limbs. Limbs do not resemble normal insectoid structure, comprised of only one long bendable section with impressive range of dexterity. SCP-EQ-003 has been seen gripping and lifting objects up to ten times its body weight. Its wings are capable of beating 10-15 times a second, giving it the approximate speed and maneuverability of a hummingbird. Its segmented eyes are abnormally large, taking up 18% of its body surface. Its body is covered in soft bristles with the tactile feel of fur; specimens have shown to come in a wide variety of pastel colors.
SCP-EQ-003 is capable of consuming more than thirty times its body weight in a sitting. How it is capable of doing this, and how it is capable of storing such a quantity in its stomach without increasing in size, is unknown. SCP-EQ-003 will consume any kind of edible food, with no preference towards fresh versus prepared foods. See Addendum 01. SCP-EQ-003's sole motivation appears to be seeking out and eating as much food as it can. Specimens have never shown signs of being full and will continue to eat so long as food is readily available. Specimens prefer to eat while in continuous motion, swirling around the food object while taking bites in a manner known as "swarming", similar to piranha.
SCP-EQ-003 do not appear to have egg, larva, or pupa forms, or any other forms comparable to the stages of life common to insectoids. When a specimen has consumed enough matter (testing has shown this to be a minimum of ten times its body weight), it will expel a wad of slime-like matter from its mouth. This mass will transform into an adult instance of SCP-EQ-003 within a few seconds. The new specimen will be physically identical to its parent, although rarely has the new specimen shared its parent's coloration. New specimens show no downtime required to learn or gather bearings, immediately acting with typical behavior for its kind.
SCP-EQ-003's body is remarkably resistant to damage. When placed under stress its body will stretch and bend like rubber before "snapping" back into its original form. To date specimens have survived burning, smashing, bludgeoning, crushing, cutting, piercing, disintegration, drowning (Specimen proceeded to drink water indefinitely and create more instances), boiling, freezing, transforming, implosion, and [DATA EXPUNGED]. Due to this apparent invulnerability, the inner working of SCP-EQ-003 are impossible to determine through autopsy. X-rays have shown nothing identifiable within its carapace.
The only known way to control SCP-EQ-003's population is to deprive it of food. In a nutrient scarce environment, specimens will vanish in a manner constant vigilance has failed to observe. Populations of SCP-EQ-003 will naturally drop on their own accord to within levels the local environment can support, though never to less than ten specimens. SCP-EQ-003 have never shown an interest in eating other instances. See Addendum 02.
While not sapient, specimens have shown a high level of intelligence. All instances of SCP-EQ-003 have shown to be adept at simple problem solving and rudimentary teamwork, and are capable of learning and performing simple tricks. When a specimen comes in contact with a pony, SCP-EQ-003 will typically use its cuddly appearance to act in a disarming fashion and get into the pony's good graces. Often this will result in the pony adopting SCP-EQ-003 and bringing it into their home, whereupon it will gain access to their kitchen and gorge itself. Specimens will display an otherwise unseen amount of self control and refrain from exorbitant feeding in the presence of its owner, waiting until its owner is otherwise occupied and unable to interfere with its feeding.
SCP-EQ-003 have shown a strong attraction to certain kinds of music, most strongly in the genre know as "Big Band". This music will have an almost hypnotic effect upon upon all SCP-EQ-003 in the area, causing them to cease all activity and flit harmlessly near the source of the melody. While specimens will remain docile as long as the melody continues to play, sufficient length of time between feedings will cause the specimen to become restless and return to hunting.
Addendum 01: On __/__/____, Event TS-110 exposed several hundred (exact number unknown due to SCP-EQ-003's rate of reproduction) of SCP-EQ-003 to an unknown spell. Due to researcher's inability to replicate the effects, it is assumed the spell was an altered version or uniquely invented spell created just for this purpose. All specimens subjected to this spell were transformed into a new form, labeled SCP-EQ-003-beta. All original specimens have been reclassified as SCP-EQ-003-alpha.
SCP-EQ-003-beta have demonstrated the ability to consume and digest all inorganic matter. Previous preference to edible foodstuffs has been completely reversed; beta specimens will now actively avoid anything normally considered edible. Beta specimens have demonstrated the ability to bite through every known material and consume it at the same rate as alpha specimens. Beta specimens do not demonstrate the same behavioral patterns of alphas when around ponies, seeming to no longer need to engage in a ruse to acquire sustenance. SCP-EQ-003-beta are much more aggressive and detrimental to their environment, and efforts to discover a way to control the SCP-EQ-003's population have been accelerated.
Addendum 02: Instances of SCP-EQ-003-alpha and -beta were initially placed in same containment area, whereupon beta specimens immediately [DATA EXPUNGED]. Beta specimens then produced new instances of SCP-EQ-003 equal to original amount of alpha. New specimens determined to be of the beta strain. Both kinds are to be kept in separate enclosures at all times and cross experimenting is strongly discouraged.
Addendum 03: Beta specimens have proven remarkably savvy at pretending to be alpha specimens. How they can stomach eating edible food when by all experiments to date show the beta strain cannot ingest nutrient rich objects anymore is unknown. Despite strenuous examinations upon recovery, at least one instance of SCP-EQ-003-beta has imitated alpha behavior enough to have been placed in all alpha enclosures. As of __/__/____, all specimens in Foundation control have been converted to the beta strain and it is believed that SCP-EQ-003-alpha no longer exists in the wild.
Addendum 04: Several specimens have been observed exhibiting an unusual diet. A number of test papers left lying on a table near a specimen were discovered to have all the ink on the pages removed, and the specimen fed enough to produce an instance. Analysis of the pages revealed that they were physically unharmed, though stripped of information. Another specimen was observed to be "eating a stream of magic right out of the shield spell". Strain capable of eating abstract concepts and immaterial objects tentatively named SCP-EQ-003-gamma. Reclassification to keter status under review.
Approved. --- O5-6