Exhibit Dossier: EHE - 04 "Scarab Queen", EHE - 04 - 1 "Queen's Guard" & EHE- 04 - 2 "Colonial Swarm"
The exact origins of this closely related yet markedly different collection of creatures is unknown. However, it is speculated that, due to genetic testing, they are a hyper accelerated evolutionary offshoot of a local species of insect known as the Scarab.
Behavioral analysis has indicated an unusually high degree of intelligence not seen in most insect species outside of ants, thus leading to the conclusion that these creatures may have had some artificial meddling in their development.
These three related EHEs share several distinct physiological features, including but not limited to: a thick armored shell that can withstand several direct hits from high-calibre weaponry; thick, viscous blood which seems to not only cling onty anything it touches permanently unless removed with an acidic solution, but it also act as a pheromonal identifier for hostile targets; a redundant circulatory system comprised of multiples of every critical organ; multiple rows of thick, strong legs terminating in exceptionally sharp points and antennae which are easily capable of detecting signals no matter how faint.
Such features, however, are the limit to the similarities between these related subtypes.
EHE - 04 - 2s (colloquially referred to as the "Colonial Swarm") possess multiple rows of antennae which each seem to pick up different signals simultaneously that, in tests, has allowed the creatures to hone in on any man-made electronic device as though it were a beacon; acidic saliva easily capable of dissolving any known organic material in milliseconds with the exception of bone; small, retractable, jointed claws in a rosette pattern at the terminus of each leg which function as bladed fingers with as much nimbleness as their human analogues. This allows these small creatures to manipulate objects in their vicinity, which, of course, makes countermeasures like standard doors all but useless as the creatures can and do cooperate with startling efficiency. This quickly makes up for their small size. They also appear to possess long tongues meant for capturing prey although they prefer to simply swarm targets in a never-ending deluge.
EHE - 04 - 1s possess even thicker shells than their smaller and more numerous counterparts making incendiary weapons all but a necessity. Unlike the aforementioned counterparts, they possess: a thinner and more acidic blood comprised of an even higher concentration of the attack pheromone; multiple egg sacs which appear on them shortly after birth, each containing between 10 and 15 Colonial Swarm eggs at a time (they are all matured and ready to hatch at a moment's notice, thus unleashing as many as hundreds of the smaller variant near instantaneously) and, in an ironic twist, large fleshy sacks within their cheeks which contain highly pressurized ionized gas capable of producing plasma in medium length/ highly concentrated streams. From what is, to date, our only encounter in a wild setting they appear far more passive than the Colonial Swarm, only acting aggressively when their Queen is in clear danger at which point they operate similar to a wolf pack. They use their immense bodies and neigh on indestructible carapaces to corner would-be aggressors before dispatching them with terrifying efficiency, or, in the events in which this tactic fails, they switch to a much more simplistic strategy of simply immolating the targets, using high temperature plasma in excess of 32000 degrees Fahrenheit. This reduces any organic target to little more than ashes almost instantly.
EHE- 04 is much larger and more muscular than her offspring. She possesses multiple insectoid ovaries, each of which are easily capable of asexually producing thousands of eggs at a time. The eggs may consist of the other two variants and perhaps even of her own, though this has yet to be confirmed. She possesses extremely robust vocal cords that are capable of producing sounds from the high hypersonic to the low infrasonic, antennae which increase in number along with the size of her swarm with each antenna corresponding to a single member ( this allows her to facilitate direct control), and two forward facing arms capped in singular, large claw-like structures which tear through most substrata as easily as a hot knife through butter.
In a peculiar twist EHE - 04 - 2s and -1s will sacrifice themselves to their Queen as food upon consuming their own body weight in prey by either climbing directly into her mouth (-2s) or inflicting mortal wounds upon themselves and allowing the blood to dissolve them (-1s), thereupon allowing her to simply drink what remains
Again all variants of these creatures share some similarities, though physical similarities are fewer and consisting only of four vertically-oriented eyes with thick eyelids, segmented bodies, multiple antennae and multiple legs.
EHE - 04 - 2s are small creatures ranging between 6 in to 2 feet in height and weighing in an average 2lbs on the smaller end to 90lbs for larger specimens. They all possess shapes not unlike the common pill bugs, though with more segmented shells, relatively large pointed legs with the above-mentioned rosette pattern claws, and antennae in addition to multiple rows of backwards curved teeth that are visible only when the creatures expose their undersides and open their mouths to begin eating.
EHE - 04- 1s are markedly larger, though more consistent in their size and weight ( 6 ft 2 in at the terminus of their head/ 400 lb respectively). This specimen appears almost uniform with the frontmost segment of their carapace shaped like a broad cannabis leaf tipped in aggressive points, a far more visible mouth filled with comparatively larger but far less numerous teeth comprising 25% of what appears to be their face, and a lack of the rosette pattern claws of their smaller brethren.
EHE - 04 is more scorpion-like in shape, possessing a large tail tipped in three divergent points that are all connected to large venom glands, thicker midsections all bearing apparent birthing holes most often covered by segments of thick carapace, even thicker legs with more present claws, the aforementioned large and powerful forelimbs, and no teeth whatsoever.
These three exhibits were discovered deep within the Sahara Desert approximately 1.4 km from the remains of what appeared to be a small town which, upon further inspection, seemed to have a thriving community only days before. Though, at the time of discovery all that remained of the inhabitants was little more than stripped skeletons and scattering of possessions.
Collected evidence from the site indicated that the human population of the town was consumed exceptionally quickly, as many remains were found in positions inconsistent with having time to struggle. This allowed us to come to the conclusion that all were petrified where they stood with frightening expediency- perhaps, in a matter of seconds.
Upon exploration of the surrounding area the first in this collection, a singular specimen of EHE - 04 - 2, was found deceased with its body riddled with numerous bullet holes all of varying sizes and trajectories. Unfortunately for the vault level staff assigned to investigate, this would merely be a harbinger of things to come, for soon after the discovery of this creature, a nearby swarm, perhaps alerted by the staff movement, emerged from under a sand dune and proceeded to flood over the sand-laden ground towards the staff in question with numbers reaching the hundreds.
During the fight for survival which followed, the staff members, using all of the weaponry at their disposal, managed to almost miraculously stem the tide of the creatures. Thanks to their high-yield plasma incinerators, they were able to trace the swarm back to what appeared to be a nest under the sand.
Upon entry, and after a lengthy battle with even more of the creatures, the staff members were confronted by an imposing group of the much larger and far more intelligent EHE - 04 - 1 which, at first, appeared to only observe them as they catalogued the charred remains of those they had killed and mapped out the surrounding tunnels. However, upon the staff's attempt to pass the larger beings, they became increasingly hostile to the inevitable point of attacking.
When the dust settled only two of the original 15 staff members managed to survive, leaving them and them alone the forge deeper into the nest at the center of which they found what is hopefully the sole specimen of EHE-04 which, without its protectors, was easily detained.
Fortunately for our research purposes, yet somewhat unfortunately for the rest of the world, two specimens of EHE - 04 - 2 and a singular specimen of EHE - 04 - 1 were found critically wounded yet alive upon exfiltration.
These specimens, along with EHE - 04, are to be kept in their containment units at all times and at all costs. Any specimen that somehow manage to escape containment are to be eliminated instantaneously using whatever methods are closest to hand. Extremely high-temperature incendiary weaponry is highly recommended due to the subjects' extreme tolerance for ballistic weaponry. In the event of an actual infestation, the Museum will be locked down with guests, staff and any free roaming exhibits proceeding to the nearest safe room while the structure's built-in Purge protocol system activates, I.e. incinerating anything outside of either the safe room or containment cells.
"If anyone- and I mean ANYONE- allows even a SINGLE ONE of these little fuckers to escape, I will personally feed your ass to them as soon as they are re-captured!"
"To be frank, the only reason we don't just wipe them out entirely is because they're quite useful for cleaning up dead bodies. Saves money on having to call a cleaning service…. And a hearse"
"Shit like this is precisely why we have GUARD waivers that people are required to sign before they can even get in here. You'd be surprised how many idiots act all shocked when something horrible happens after interacting with our more…. dangerous…. exhibits."
