Item #: SCP-023-IT
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures: Twenty-five specimens of SCP-023-IT are contained in the Containment Area 05 of Site Vittoria for research purposes; the containment structure is made of reinforced concrete and is about 3 m tall. The area is under video surveillance and patrols of not less than three armed guards must verify the integrity of the structure and the possible presence of eggs. Once every three days, an adult bovine must be brought into the Containment Area to feed SCP-023-IT.
Description: SCP-023-IT is a genetically modified organism, created by the CFO using the gray wolf ("Canis lupus") as its genetic basis and integrating its genome with that of various species of arthropods currently unknown. The adult specimens of SCP-023-IT measure 120 cm in length (tail excluded) and weigh around 26 kg; their body is hairless but presents chitin plaques on a large part of the skin surface, with the exception of the joints, part of the abdomen, and tail. The spine, the last four pairs of ribs and the bones of the limbs are made of cartilage, which lightens the skeleton and can make movements otherwise harmful or impossible for a bony skeleton. A complex trachea system ensures a high supply of oxygen to the muscles, allowing SCP-023-IT to run and fight for extended periods of time without fatigue.
SCP-023-IT is oviparous: females lay up to nine eggs in holes which they cover with decaying plant matter. The young are born after about a month of incubation and reach maturity at eighteen months; however, most of them die during the first year of life due to severe malformations resulting from the unstable genome. SCP-023-IT is gregarious and forms packs led by the older individual or a human being. The members of the group communicate both with howls and growls and with the emission of pheromones from the skin, allowing a high degree of coordination during attacks. The methods by which they attack targets are extremely variable but they all rely on exhausting the victim before attacking them en masse.
The CFO has been using SCP-023-IT at least since 2001, the year in which a squadron led by the First Triumvir attacked Area 11-IT with a pack of at least 70 specimens. The battle ended with a triumph of the Council, which took the security teams by surprise with the new Chimera, defeated their defenses and took possession of the structure and SCP-███-IT, contained in the area. From that event onwards, SCP-023-IT has been used both in offensive operations and to defend the Bases from intruders.
Addendum 1: In 2013, an agent infiltrated in ██████'s police, in the province of Bologna, participated in the investigations regarding a possible pack of wolves that had been attacking cattle in the area's countryside for over a year. The agent conducted part of the interrogations and, recognizing SCP-023-IT in the description made by the breeders, alerted the Foundation. The SSM-IV ("Pugnus Ferri") was sent to the area and, over the following days, captured 11 specimens and destroyed 31 of them. Following the operation, the area was placed under surveillance by order of the Council of Superintendents.
Addendum 2: In 2017, investigations by undercover agents in ██████ led to the discovery of a CFO base used to breed and train SCP-023-IT and which, almost certainly, is the place from which the herd of 2013. The SSM-IV and -IX ("Machinamenta") were deployed to assault the structure. The Special Teams managed to win the clash and recover a large number of encrypted documents, most of which related to SCP-023-IT.
The following document was coded with a much more complex code than the others; for this reason, it was the first on which specialists focused. Due to its content, it is reserved for Level 4 or above staff.
Addendum 3: In 2013, the Superintendence gave the permission to start for a study project on SCP-023-IT, currently still ongoing. The main observations made by the researchers are listed below; complete documentation is available in Site Vittoria's archives.
