WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:00.560 --> 00:00:04.720 The explorer slashes his way through the  jungle, using his large machete to hack   00:00:04.720 --> 00:00:09.680 through the thick undergrowth. He suddenly stops  and turns around, “Which way was it again?” 00:00:10.480 --> 00:00:14.640 His local guide answers but he must wait for  him to finish and his research assistant to   00:00:14.640 --> 00:00:18.720 translate. “He says to continue straight,  it’s just another hundred yards or so.” 00:00:19.440 --> 00:00:23.920 The gentleman explorer offers a quick nod before  turning to resume cutting his way through the   00:00:23.920 --> 00:00:29.920 forest. The guide was right though, because after  a short way the dense jungle suddenly opens up,   00:00:29.920 --> 00:00:34.400 giving way to a clearing that reveals one  of the most incredible things the explorer   00:00:34.400 --> 00:00:41.440 has ever seen. Just ahead of him, rising out of  the forest is a massive, ancient stone temple. A   00:00:41.440 --> 00:00:46.240 huge step pyramid of solid stone, intricately  carved and covered with elaborate statues. 00:00:46.960 --> 00:00:51.360 The colossal structure looks like it has been  abandoned for centuries if not longer, with   00:00:51.360 --> 00:00:56.400 nature having done its best to reclaim the stone  and cover the pyramid in vines and other plants.   00:00:56.400 --> 00:01:01.280 The team approaches the temple but stops in front  of a stone monument that stands in front of it.   00:01:01.280 --> 00:01:05.680 The explorer traces its carved lines with his  finger, knocking the dirt away to reveal its   00:01:05.680 --> 00:01:11.680 weathered pictograph. It appears to depict a sort  of creature, but with large, spread wings instead   00:01:11.680 --> 00:01:17.440 of arms. “Perhaps a kind of… ritualistic  garb?” the explorer says to his assistant. 00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:21.440 The assistant hastily scribbles in her  notebook, trying to document everything   00:01:21.440 --> 00:01:25.600 she can. “Yes, this is definitely  a priest-like figure of some kind,   00:01:25.600 --> 00:01:29.200 maybe a leader of this temple thanks to  the connection he shares to their - “ the   00:01:29.200 --> 00:01:33.680 explorer’s musings are interrupted by his  guide, who he angrily spins around to face. 00:01:33.680 --> 00:01:35.040 “Yes, what?! What is it?” 00:01:35.040 --> 00:01:37.760 His research assistant  translates for him as usual,   00:01:37.760 --> 00:01:40.400 “he says that we should go no  further, that it’s too dangerous.” 00:01:41.120 --> 00:01:46.480 “Nonsense,” replies the explorer, “we came all  this way, and who knows what fantastic treasures   00:01:46.480 --> 00:01:52.080 await us inside… Historical treasures I mean,  artifacts. Treasures of knowledge, of course.” 00:01:52.800 --> 00:01:55.200 “Of course,” replies his  assistant before following   00:01:55.200 --> 00:01:58.000 her boss as he starts making  his way up the step pyramid,   00:01:58.000 --> 00:02:02.000 as the guide holds true to his stated intentions  and waits near the edge of the jungle. 00:02:02.720 --> 00:02:06.880 The two of them walk through an entrance that  leads into a long, dark hallway. With only   00:02:06.880 --> 00:02:11.200 torches to light their way, it’s impossible  to see just how deep it runs into the temple.   00:02:11.760 --> 00:02:16.720 The explorer stops to examine the walls which are  covered in even more carvings. He can see that   00:02:16.720 --> 00:02:21.760 there are complicated geometric patterns, but also  many more depictions of the same winged creature   00:02:21.760 --> 00:02:27.360 that was on the monument outside. Here though,  the creatures are depicted in moments of action.   00:02:27.360 --> 00:02:33.680 They appear to be running, chasing, reaching  out and grabbing for… people. They are shown   00:02:33.680 --> 00:02:38.480 attacking them, picking them up, carrying  them away to… right where the pictograph story   00:02:38.480 --> 00:02:43.360 should reveal its climax is a chunk of missing  wall. It must have fallen off at some point.  00:02:43.360 --> 00:02:48.160 “Ah, oh well,” the explorer declares before  moving on to explore more of the temple. 00:02:48.880 --> 00:02:53.600 His assistant doesn’t follow though. She spots  several pieces of stone on the floor underneath   00:02:53.600 --> 00:02:58.720 the missing panel and kneels down to get a  closer look. She begins to gather them together,   00:02:58.720 --> 00:03:01.520 rearranging the various pieces  back into their original form.   00:03:02.240 --> 00:03:05.680 Meanwhile the explorer’s attention  has been caught by something else.   00:03:05.680 --> 00:03:10.560 On the other side of the hall is a statue  of a tall, proud warrior, and in his hand,   00:03:10.560 --> 00:03:15.440 he clutches a large, bejeweled spear, the  gemstones adorning it sparkling in the torchlight.  00:03:16.240 --> 00:03:21.120 The explorer reaches out and grips the spear’s  handle. He begins to pull, perhaps being a   00:03:21.120 --> 00:03:25.600 little rougher than one should with an ancient  artifact, but he wants this fabulous jeweled   00:03:25.600 --> 00:03:30.000 piece, and even more than the spear itself, he  wants the acclaim it will bring him back home. 00:03:30.800 --> 00:03:35.200 As the explorer pulls on the spear his research  assistant moves the final piece of the broken   00:03:35.200 --> 00:03:40.560 wall carving into position. She holds her torch  over it to get a better look and she gasps.   00:03:40.560 --> 00:03:44.240 The winged creatures are carrying people  away, but that isn’t the end of the story.   00:03:44.800 --> 00:03:48.960 They are bringing them somewhere, and she can  see now that they are being presented to an   00:03:48.960 --> 00:03:54.000 even bigger winged creature. It’s a monster,  a monster that is feeding on the people. 00:03:54.720 --> 00:03:58.880 The assistant turns to tell the explorer  what she has found, and just as she does,   00:03:58.880 --> 00:04:02.640 she watches as he is finally able to rend  the spear loose from the statue’s grip.   00:04:03.200 --> 00:04:06.640 The statue finally letting go causes  him to fall backwards to the ground   00:04:06.640 --> 00:04:09.920 where he lies, marveling at the  beautiful jeweled spear in his hands. 00:04:10.560 --> 00:04:13.600 “Look out!” yells his assistant.  The explorer doesn’t notice that   00:04:13.600 --> 00:04:16.800 the statue is precariously rocking  back and forth, and he rolls out of   00:04:16.800 --> 00:04:20.480 the way just before it crashes down right  where he was lying and admiring the spear. 00:04:21.120 --> 00:04:23.920 “Are you ok?” she asks as she rushes over. 00:04:23.920 --> 00:04:27.120 “I think so,” he tells her.  “Just a little bump on the   00:04:27.120 --> 00:04:30.800 head. Nothing that can’t be fixed up by a good - ” 00:04:30.800 --> 00:04:34.640 “By a good what?” she asks, but he seems  distracted by something behind her. 00:04:34.640 --> 00:04:39.760 “By a good… by a good… By god what is that?” 00:04:40.560 --> 00:04:44.480 He points and the research assistant turns to  see something emerging from a hole in the wall   00:04:44.480 --> 00:04:49.120 where the statue once stood. It’s one of the  creatures from the wall carvings. A bizarre   00:04:49.120 --> 00:04:53.600 half man, half lizard, with wings instead  of arms, though there’s no flesh at all,   00:04:53.600 --> 00:04:57.920 the creature is completely made of bone. The  two of them both scream at the skeletonized,   00:04:57.920 --> 00:05:02.480 half-human, and the creature screams right back  at them, emitting a shrill, high-pitched squeal. 00:05:03.280 --> 00:05:06.240 Suddenly more of the creatures begin  to emerge from the hole in the wall,   00:05:06.240 --> 00:05:10.800 with others crawling out of previously unseen  and unnoticed holes in the walls and ceiling.   00:05:10.800 --> 00:05:13.920 The creatures rush towards them,  blocking their way out of the temple,   00:05:13.920 --> 00:05:16.960 and the pair have no choice but to  run further down the darkened hallway. 00:05:17.680 --> 00:05:20.720 As they run, more of the creatures  emerge from holes in the darkness,   00:05:20.720 --> 00:05:24.480 screaming at them and grasping at them with  the sharp claws on the end of their wings.   00:05:24.480 --> 00:05:28.000 As they round a corner, one reaches  out and grasps the explorer’s ankle   00:05:28.000 --> 00:05:32.480 causing him to trip and fall hard onto the  stone floor. His assistant rushes to his aid,   00:05:32.480 --> 00:05:36.080 but as she is helping him up, two more of  the creatures appear behind her and envelop   00:05:36.080 --> 00:05:40.080 her in their bony, winged arms. The explorer  stands up and stabs at one of them with the   00:05:40.080 --> 00:05:44.080 jeweled spear as they drag her into a dark  hole, but a third tears it from his hands. 00:05:44.800 --> 00:05:48.960 With more still coming down the hallway  behind him, the explorer has to run. The   00:05:48.960 --> 00:05:52.000 hallway in front of him looks to have  collapsed at some point in the past and   00:05:52.000 --> 00:05:56.080 he has no choice but to enter one of the dark  tunnels that has been carved into the rock.   00:05:56.080 --> 00:06:01.040 The narrow tunnel winds back and forth and the  explorer is unsure of where he is going or what   00:06:01.040 --> 00:06:06.800 his plan is. He rounds a bend and the tunnel opens  up into a gigantic room. The ceiling must be over   00:06:06.800 --> 00:06:11.680 a hundred feet high, and he can’t see the furthest  walls with the only light emitted by his torch,   00:06:11.680 --> 00:06:14.960 and a dim beam of sunlight coming down  through a hole high up on the ceiling. 00:06:15.600 --> 00:06:20.160 He notices too that it has suddenly  gone quiet. He turns and looks back at   00:06:20.160 --> 00:06:23.680 the tunnel he has just emerged from and  notices that the sound of the horrible   00:06:23.680 --> 00:06:28.480 creatures that were chasing him has ceased. The explorer hears something coming from   00:06:28.480 --> 00:06:32.000 deeper in the giant room and turns  back, peering into the darkness.   00:06:32.880 --> 00:06:38.320 There in the single beam of light he sees one of  the winged creatures, but it is moving strangely,   00:06:38.320 --> 00:06:43.200 as if it isn’t walking, but floating up into  the air. And that’s because it isn’t walking. 00:06:44.000 --> 00:06:48.240 As it gets closer, the explorer can see that  the winged creature is stuck on the tooth of a   00:06:48.240 --> 00:06:52.400 gigantic, monstrous mouth. The huge, winged  creature emerges from the darkness into the   00:06:52.400 --> 00:06:57.040 beam of light, tossing back its giant head to  consume the creature that was stuck in its teeth,   00:06:57.040 --> 00:07:03.280 its bones loudly cracking in its mouth. Now in  the light, the explorer can see that the monster,   00:07:03.280 --> 00:07:08.640 which itself must be hundreds of feet long, is  a huge flying lizard of some kind. Or at least   00:07:08.640 --> 00:07:14.480 it was at one time, since now the majority of  its body is made only of bone. What scraps of   00:07:14.480 --> 00:07:19.840 flesh are left hang off in rotten ribbons. The monster opens its mouth and roars at the   00:07:19.840 --> 00:07:24.720 explorer, its foul breath smells like a mausoleum  opening up hitting the explorer in the face.   00:07:25.280 --> 00:07:29.280 The explorer tries to run but the monster  swipes out with a bony wing that still has   00:07:29.280 --> 00:07:33.200 a few blackened strips of leathery skin  on it and knocks him to the ground. He   00:07:33.200 --> 00:07:37.520 is pinned to the floor with a huge spiny  claw, as the creature opens its mouth,   00:07:37.520 --> 00:07:41.120 roaring again before moving its head  down to start feasting on its meal. 00:07:41.840 --> 00:07:45.360 The explorer closes his eyes,  bracing himself to be eaten alive   00:07:45.360 --> 00:07:49.120 when the creature suddenly lets out an ear  piercing scream. The explorer opens his   00:07:49.120 --> 00:07:52.240 eyes to see the jeweled spear sticking  out of one of the few spots of flesh   00:07:52.240 --> 00:07:56.800 remaining on the creature’s clawed foot,  and gripping the shaft, is his assistant. 00:07:56.800 --> 00:08:01.120 She looks a little worse for wear, but she’s  alive. She offers him a hand to help him up. They   00:08:01.120 --> 00:08:06.000 need to get out of there, but first the explorer  pulls the spear from the monster's claw. The   00:08:06.000 --> 00:08:10.160 two start running, doing everything they can to  avoid the monster as it claws and swipes at them. 00:08:10.880 --> 00:08:15.520 They spot an illuminated opening at the other end  of the vast room and with no other option, start   00:08:15.520 --> 00:08:20.640 heading towards it. As they get closer they can  see it’s just what they needed - daylight. Escape. 00:08:21.440 --> 00:08:25.920 They both slide to a stop at the cusp of the  opening, nearly tumbling over the edge. On   00:08:25.920 --> 00:08:30.400 the other side, the tunnel opening up out of the  side of the temple gives way to nothing but air,   00:08:30.400 --> 00:08:34.480 and a drop of hundreds of feet down to the  jungle below. They turn to see the monster   00:08:34.480 --> 00:08:38.800 still rushing towards them and without  time to think any longer they both jump,   00:08:38.800 --> 00:08:43.200 just seconds before the creature snaps its bony  jaws in the place where they were standing.   00:08:43.200 --> 00:08:46.800 It’s too big to fit anything more than  its mouth out the door and it howls and   00:08:46.800 --> 00:08:50.320 screams as they fall through the air  before crashing into the ground below. 00:08:51.120 --> 00:08:56.960 The assistant slowly opens her eyes to see  someone… It's their guide. He is cradling her   00:08:56.960 --> 00:09:02.880 head, and asking if she’s okay. She sits up, dazed  and more than a little bruised from her fall.  00:09:02.880 --> 00:09:07.600 She asks the guide where the explorer is, if  he’s alright, and the guide lowers his eyes,   00:09:07.600 --> 00:09:12.160 looking as though he’d rather not answer. He  points next to them without looking and the   00:09:12.160 --> 00:09:16.160 assistant turns to see the explorer lying  on the ground a few feet away from them,   00:09:16.160 --> 00:09:24.640 his body impaled on the jeweled spear. History is full of tales and legends about gods,   00:09:24.640 --> 00:09:29.280 monsters, and everything in between.  But not all of these are just stories,   00:09:29.280 --> 00:09:34.560 and in fact sometimes the reality is even more  terrifying than what we could envision. And that   00:09:34.560 --> 00:09:41.520 is exactly the case when it comes to SCP-4959,  also known as the Teotihuacan Pterodactylactery.  00:09:42.400 --> 00:09:48.400 SCP-4959 is a huge creature that resembles a  pterosaur, which were flying reptiles that existed   00:09:48.400 --> 00:09:52.720 during the Mesozoic Era. While pterosaurs  have been extinct for millions of years,   00:09:52.720 --> 00:09:59.760 SCP-4959 is very much alive, or at the very  least, animate. This massive anomaly, whose   00:09:59.760 --> 00:10:04.880 wingspan stretches approximately 50 meters, is  in a living state of decomposition, with roughly   00:10:04.880 --> 00:10:10.000 70% of its flesh having rotted or otherwise  fallen away, leaving only small patches of skin   00:10:10.000 --> 00:10:15.120 and decaying tissue clinging to its bones. The  flesh that does remain shows no signs of further   00:10:15.120 --> 00:10:19.840 decomposition though, as if it is permanently  locked into this specific stage of advanced decay. 00:10:20.720 --> 00:10:25.840 Tests of 4959’s flesh have shown no apparent  abnormalities, save for a slightly higher than   00:10:25.840 --> 00:10:31.360 expected concentration of iridium. Its eyes are no  longer present, but the eye sockets somehow shine   00:10:31.360 --> 00:10:35.760 with a bright green light, though the source  of this luminescence is unknown. When angered,   00:10:35.760 --> 00:10:40.400 the creature also emits a multicolored corona  of fire from its wings, skull, and neck. 00:10:41.360 --> 00:10:44.560 SCP-4959 was discovered in a gigantic chamber   00:10:44.560 --> 00:10:48.400 beneath the Temple of the Feathered  Serpent in Teotihuacan, Mexico.   00:10:48.400 --> 00:10:52.400 A number of tunnels connect to the chamber,  and these too are anything but empty. 00:10:53.200 --> 00:10:57.440 Lurking within the temple’s many twisting  passages, are entities that have been designated   00:10:57.440 --> 00:11:03.680 SCP-4959-A. These are humanoid size creatures  appear to be constructed of various human and   00:11:03.680 --> 00:11:09.040 pterosaur bones, creating an all-new creature  that is an amalgamation of both. The bones are   00:11:09.040 --> 00:11:14.080 connected to a central, stone-like heart, but it  is unknown if this heart was carved from stone   00:11:14.080 --> 00:11:18.880 or if it was at one time a real heart that turned  to stone through a process of ossification,   00:11:18.880 --> 00:11:23.040 nor is it fully understood just how the  bones are connected to it or stay together.   00:11:23.040 --> 00:11:28.560 The 4959-A entities also have a number of varying  adornments on their bodies which can include   00:11:28.560 --> 00:11:32.000 strips of decayed fabric,  feathers, and precious stones,   00:11:32.000 --> 00:11:36.480 that resemble those worn by the indigenous people  who resided in the area many centuries ago. 00:11:37.360 --> 00:11:43.360 SCP-4959 is carnivorous, though it is unknown  if it requires or simply desires to feed.   00:11:43.360 --> 00:11:49.440 Regardless, it seems to be the task of  the SCP-4959-A entities to bring it meals,   00:11:49.440 --> 00:11:53.520 since the 4959 creature itself is too large  to leave its chamber beneath the temple. 00:11:54.240 --> 00:11:57.920 The hallways and passages that originally  connected the temple to the chamber housing   00:11:57.920 --> 00:12:03.280 SCP-4959 have all collapsed, and the only  tunnels now leading to it were most likely   00:12:03.280 --> 00:12:08.960 dug into the rock and earth by the 4959-A  entities. They search through these tunnels,   00:12:08.960 --> 00:12:13.120 most often working at night, looking for  small animals like birds and lizards,   00:12:13.120 --> 00:12:16.960 but also occasionally finding a larger  animal or even a human who has somehow   00:12:16.960 --> 00:12:21.920 found themselves inside. They will then bring  their live prey directly to the giant pterosaur,   00:12:21.920 --> 00:12:28.960 offering them up as both a meal and a sacrifice.  SCP-4959 will then proceed to eat the prey whole,   00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:33.040 sometimes consuming the 4959-A  entity at the same time as well. 00:12:33.840 --> 00:12:38.000 The temple itself is covered in carvings and  murals that give numerous hints as to the   00:12:38.000 --> 00:12:43.760 origin of SCP-4959. While it is unknown just  how it got there, It appears as though the   00:12:43.760 --> 00:12:48.160 local people discovered the creature within its  chamber, and regarded it as an avatar of their   00:12:48.160 --> 00:12:53.520 Feathered Serpent god or perhaps another unknown  deity. A temple was constructed at the site,   00:12:53.520 --> 00:12:57.120 and they soon began making sacrifices  to the god-creature that lived beneath,   00:12:57.120 --> 00:13:01.600 starting with small animals, but then progressing  to human sacrifices on important holy days. 00:13:02.320 --> 00:13:06.320 There is also something else shown in the  murals that looks to be of great importance.   00:13:06.320 --> 00:13:12.960 It seems as though SCP-4959 possessed a sort of  “heart” which is depicted as a large gemstone,   00:13:12.960 --> 00:13:18.880 described as being “red as blood and bright as  the rising sun.” This gemstone was previously   00:13:18.880 --> 00:13:22.400 housed at the pinnacle of the temple,  though its current location is unknown. 00:13:23.200 --> 00:13:26.720 Following intense study of the  site by SCP Foundation historians,   00:13:26.720 --> 00:13:30.240 a narrative was pieced together that may  explain at least some of what happened there.   00:13:30.880 --> 00:13:34.480 It seems as though there was an uprising  within the local population in roughly the   00:13:34.480 --> 00:13:39.920 sixth century AD. A conflict had arisen amongst  the people as to whether this really was a god,   00:13:39.920 --> 00:13:46.400 or something else, something evil. Those who  doubted the deific origins of SCP-4959 wrested   00:13:46.400 --> 00:13:50.640 control of the temple and journeyed into  its depths to attempt to kill the creature.   00:13:50.640 --> 00:13:55.120 The many scorch marks on the wall are a testament  to the battle that likely took place, and while   00:13:55.120 --> 00:13:59.200 they suffered many losses, it appears as though  they were at least able to seal the chamber shut. 00:13:59.920 --> 00:14:03.920 It is currently unknown what became of the  great jewel on top of the temple after this,   00:14:03.920 --> 00:14:05.920 but its location is of great interest to the   00:14:05.920 --> 00:14:10.400 Foundation given that it may well be  the source of SCP-4959’s longevity. 00:14:11.200 --> 00:14:16.400 SCP-4959 has been classified as Euclid, and it  continues to be contained within the chamber   00:14:16.400 --> 00:14:20.000 beneath the Temple of the Feathered Serpent,  though all of the tunnel entrances leading   00:14:20.000 --> 00:14:24.640 into it have been blocked by reinforced gates.  If new ones are discovered as the result of   00:14:24.640 --> 00:14:31.360 SCP-4959-A’s continued tunneling, they too  are to be gated and sealed. Once per week,   00:14:31.360 --> 00:14:36.000 a large, live animal, most often a cow, is  deposited down a shaft that leads directly   00:14:36.000 --> 00:14:41.680 to the chamber, and so far, this seems to be  keeping SCP-4959 content to stay within its tomb. 00:14:42.560 --> 00:14:48.320 Just what is SCP-4959? And what are the  half-man, half-pterosaur creatures who serve it?   00:14:48.320 --> 00:14:53.040 Are they former human sacrifices, now destined  to live an eternity in servitude to their master?   00:14:53.600 --> 00:14:58.960 If SCP-4959 was a god at one point, the fact  that we are now the ones responsible for   00:14:58.960 --> 00:15:03.600 feeding it and keeping it happy means that  in a sense, we’re the ones serving it now. 00:15:04.400 --> 00:15:10.400 Now go and watch another entry from the files  of Dr. Bob, like SCP-3700 The Tides of War,   00:15:10.400 --> 00:15:13.760 for another anomaly with god-like  implications. And make sure you   00:15:13.760 --> 00:15:17.360 subscribe and turn on notifications,  so you don’t miss a single anomaly,   00:15:17.360 --> 00:15:24.960 as we delve further and further into the  SCP Foundation’s classified archives.