GrandTrickster
rating: 0+x

Item #: SCP-XXXX

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures: SCP-XXXX is to be stored in a 1 meter cubic glass case in Researcher Jane Mink’s office. A member of janitorial staff is responsible for dusting SCP-XXXX once weekly. If SCP-XXXX’s skin is damaged, another intact skin is to be made available in case of a shedding event.

SCP-XXXX is to be kept in secure quarantine until the current shedding episode is over. Following the event, SCP-XXXX is to be placed into a four meter cubed containment cell and monitored in order to document any changes to its physiology and/or behavior. Direct interaction with SCP-XXXX by researchers is strictly prohibited until concrete evidence has been collected that it is not hostile.

Description: SCP-XXXX is an entity that is capable of processing dead animals, in a manner similar to taxidermy, in order to inhabit their skins. So far it has shown the ability to fit into skins of varying sizes, from those as large as deer to those as small as rats. Due to this, it is thought that the entity is capable of manipulating its size to fit the skin it inhabits. SCP-XXXX is currently wearing the skin of researcher Jane Mink’s deceased pet dog.
SCP-XXXX does not imitate the animal whose skin it inhabits. Instead, the subject will move to a place where it will be seen by at least 1 person, then proceed to strike an exaggerated or dynamic pose and freeze in place. This causes the subject to bear an extreme resemblance to a non-anomalous taxidermy mount, so much so that it can be mistaken for such by those unfamiliar with it.

While it is capable of inhabiting nearly any skin, the subject seems to prefer those of mammals. It has been hypothesized that this is because mammals’ skins tend to be easier to maintain, while feathered, scaled, or amphibian-like skin tends to be more difficult.

SCP-XXXX takes great care to maintain its skin. If it is cut or scratched, the subject will repair it from the inside by stitching the breach shut with a material structurally very similar to spider silk. Additionally, the subject will only become aggressive if it feels that its skin is in danger of being damaged beyond repair.
If the skin is damaged beyond repair, SCP-XXXX will shed it and attempt to find another.

When the subject is forced to retaliate to a threat, it will not make use of the teeth, claws, horns, or other defenses attached to its skin. Instead, several limbs will erupt from the skin and proceed to assault the threat. These limbs often terminate in blades, spines, or club-like appendages. Analysis has indicated that these limbs are actually composed of the same material as the repair stitches, with the difference being that the limbs are composed of hundreds of threads woven together to create a ‘tendril’ of sorts.

If deprived of its skin, whether forced to shed it due to damage or if it is physically removed, SCP-XXXX will enter a state of extreme agitation. The subject will generate as many tendrils as possible, obscuring its body and allowing it the ability of locomotion. It will move towards the nearest intact animal skin and attempt to process it for itself. If the nearest skin belongs to a living animal, then this process inevitably proves lethal as the entity will expel the internal organs to make room for itself.