SCP-249

Item #: SCP-249

Object Class: Keter

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-249 should be contained within a 5x5 meter room with no windows or holes, as it is capable of altering its shape in order to maneuver through any obstructions. It must be kept in this location at all times with no exceptions. The room must be equipped with a camera that can remotely activate if it moves to an area where it is not enclosed.

Instances of SCP-249-1 are to be kept inside one of the three standard humanoid containment cells; two are allotted for instances that keep their limbs, and a third must be reserved for any newly-created instance of SCP-249-1.

Description: SCP-249 is a humanoid, tentacled creature that has the ability to alter its shape. SCP-249 can only change its shape in ways that are acceptable to it; any changes not necessary for its current needs or comfort will result in it creating a new shape and ejecting the previous one from its body.

The first time it was encountered, SCP-249 had the form of a large white octopus with an extra head between the two tentacles; this instance was able to maintain this form for approximately 12 hours before eventually expiring due to starvation.

Since that initial encounter, instances of SCP-249 have been tracked moving through various locales throughout the Pacific Ocean, occasionally ejecting smaller instances of themselves when they reach areas where they are unable to create their existing form. However, if they are ever forced into an area where they cannot create their form, they will instead use the ejected form to navigate back to their original location; this behavior has been witnessed several times throughout its travels.

SCP-249-1 is a humanoid (SCP-249) that has lost at least one limb. Their anomalous properties do not activate until they reattach themselves to SCP-249 with some kind of biological material (such as blood or bone). Residual effects of these objects will continue for as long as another is attached to them. These creatures, when single, have shown no signs of starving or malnutrition despite their lack of limbs; all evidence suggests that their sustenance comes from SCP-249 itself. Instances of SCP-249-1 seem to be capable of being ejected from SCP-249 at any time and retaining enough sentience so as not to suffer from any sort of mental distress similar to extended isolation but may still be ejected from SCP-249 at any time by SCP-249's own actions. Instances of SCP-249-1 are also capable of forming new limbs if their existing ones are destroyed, but if they reach an area where they cannot attach themselves on their own, they will spawn an instance of SCP-249 instead.

Instances can be kept alive indefinitely if kept within close proximity with an instance of SCP-249 without being ejected; however, after three months without contact with another instance in this manner, the body begins to lose mass at an exponential rate unless it makes contact with another instance almost immediately after losing contact with it. When this happens and the body is removed from close proximity with another instance quickly enough (<30 minutes), it should be possible for the body used in this fashion to retain its physical integrity until such a time in the future when it can be reunited with another instance of itself.

Addendum #1:

Over the course of SCP-249's travels, it has been observed to eject instances of SCP-249-1 in order to avoid being captured by the Foundation. The following is a list of known instances of SCP-249-1 and their current locations as of ██/██/████.