SCP-ES-050H2O-J's primary habitat.1.
Item #: SCP-ES-050H2O-J
Object Class: A Safe guess to assume it's water, yes?
Special Containment Procedures: All instances of SCP-ES-050H2O-J are contained in a glass fish tank (0.75 m X 0.3 m X 0.3 m) inside Dr. McQuoid's office in Site 43; where the ideal environmental conditions for these entities are produced. Live nematodes are to be administered for feeding. Dr. McQuoid should be informed of any experimentation desired with the instances of SCP-ES-050H2O-J.
Description: SCP-ES-050H2O-J is the group designation assigned to members of the family Tardigrada, which also share common characteristics with some arthropods and annelids2, including the chemical composition of its cuticle. SCP-ES-050H2O-J instances are commonly referred to as "water bears".
This bear is named Water. This does not mean it is a water bear, but simply a bear named Water.
This is a bear in the water. This does not mean it is a water bear, but simply a bear in the water.
This is a bear-shaped section of water. This does not make it a water bear, but simply a bear-shaped section of water.3.
This is Dr. McQuoid's teddy bear. His name is Teddy because he is not very creative. When you shake him frantically and toss him against the wall, he makes a really weird sound, almost as if he's full of water. This does not make him a water bear, but simply a bear full of water.
SCP-ES-050H2O-J's designation encompasses approximately 1000 species, which primarily inhabit humid environments, generally using different species of bryophytes as shelter. The diet of these organisms is varied, largely consisting of nematodes, rotifers and bacteria4. To facilitate the destruction of bryophytes cell walls, SCP-ES-050H2O-J have two sharp puncturing appendages5 in the oral cavity, plus a pharynx which allows the suction of these cells.
SCP-ES-050H2O-J's main anomalous property is their extremophilic nature, though they are not as extreme as the environments in which they reside. To do this, they enter a state of cryptobiosis6, which begins in a self-induced state of dehydration storing only between 3% and 7% of the total water in their organism. During this process, they activate a series of antioxidant mechanisms7, as well as employing a disaccharide (trehalose) which allows the formation of hydrogen bridges between the different biomolecules in the absence of water.
Different specimens of SCP-ES-050H2O-J have been subjected to experiments to corroborate the properties of this process:
| Test | Results |
|---|---|
| Temperatures of -250 ºC | No effect. |
| Temperatures of 152 ºC | No effect. |
| Ionizing radiation (10 Sv) | No effects. |
| Pressure of 550000 kPa | No effects. |
| Immersion in boiling alcohol | No effects. |
| Oxygen depravation | No effects. |
| 12-day withholding of food | No effects. |
| Exposure to a spatial vacuum8 | No effects. |
According to recent research conducted by Dr. McQuoid based on evidence of his external anatomy, this entity is the spawn of the bear Water. This does not make it a water bear, but simply a bear born from Water9.
