Colloquial name: Mokele-Mbembe
Closest Known Species: Janenschia Robusta
Territory: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Current Status: Alive
RPC-869-1 appears to be a member of the Janenschia genus, with its habitat and appearance most resembling that of the Janenschia Robusta, however, close inspection of RPC-869-1's bone structure to verify this has been impossible. It prefers to eat the fruit of Landolphia mannii, usually eating most or all of the fruits on a tree. It traverses the Congo through the various river-ways, as it cannot maneuver itself through the more wooded areas.
While RPC-869-1 is passive compared to some of the other instances of RPC-869, it is still greatly territorial. The presence of certain animals — primarily humans and hippopotamuses — provokes hostile reactions from RPC-869-1. Upon being provoked, RPC-869-1 will raise its front legs and stomp at its perceived aggressor before returning to its passive state. If this does not successfully deter any provocations, then it will use its tail to continue its attempt at ridding its aggressor. RPC-869-1 is able to swing its tail as if it were a whip, with RPC-869-1 even be able to crack it on multiple occasions with seemingly no pain or noticeable damage to the tail.
Discovery: RPC-869-1 was first learned about on ██/██/18██ after Authority Researcher David Livingstone returned from his 3rd expedition. mentioning it in his notes:
"There is a very interesting quadrupedal creature living in the Congo. It has no fur and ████████ covering its body, and it travels the rivers of the Congo. According to the locals, there is only one member of this species, but it travels throughout a large area, only eating a certain fruit."
An Authority expedition was soon launched into the area of Congo Livingstone described. Authority members found and studied RPC-869-1 (then classified as simply RPC-869) until deciding that it needed to be contained. A few months after RPC-869-1 was contained, several scientists that remained in the Congo noticed the sudden abundance of the Malomba tree, which was a major source of sustenance for RPC-869-1. After another year of this dominant growth, researchers theorized that RPC-869-1 might be necessary to the ecosystem of the Congo, and released it back into the wild. Containment protocols were adjusted accordingly.
Colloquial name: Emela-Ntouka
Closest Known Species: Arsinoitherium Zitteli
Territory: Gabon
Current Status: Alive
RPC-869-2 is a relative to modern rhinoceros species, believed to be a member of the Arsinoitheriidae genus, and a close relative to Arsinoitherium Zitteli, although it does share several differences. It has only one horn, which is 100 cm long. Field samples have shown that its horn does have an outer layer of keratin, but it is unknown if it has a bone core or a core made of hair. It is also much larger than the modern-day Rhinoceros, standing at approximately 3 meters tall and approximately 4.5 meters long.
While RPC-869-2 has also been seen attacking hippos and humans, it seems to mostly have territorial bouts with migrating elephant populations, with RPC-869-2 being responsible for approximately ██ elephant deaths each year. When attacking, RPC-869-2 will begin charging at whatever it sees in its territory, reaching speeds of approx. 70 km/h. It will lower its head to align its horn to its target, and then create a large puncture wound. In most cases, impacted creatures will be immediately killed, with some Authority agents being launched 20 feet after being impacted and punctured.In some cases, a single thrust is not sufficient to terminate RPC-869-2's target. When this happens, RPC-869-2 repeatedly stabs it until it expires.
It has been noticed by agents that RPC-869-2 does not act territorial with smaller animals that live in its territory and has even been seen in a somewhat symbiotic relationship with some of them, at one point seeming to go out of its way to protect the nest of an Asio Capensis from poachers.
While RPC-869-2 doesn't technically prey on and consume African Elephants, it has attacked and killed so many over the course of Authority observation that it seems to fill the same ecological role. RPC-869-2 is among the most aggressive instances of 869, attacking most agents on sight and fatally goring many of them. RPC-869-2 mostly eats marsh grasses with seemingly no preference, and no meaningful effect on botanical populations.
Discovery: While returning from a research mission in Southern Africa, an Authority research team unknowingly went through the territory of RPC-869-2. Approximately 13 hours after entering its territory, RPC-869-2 encountered the research team and attacked, leading to the deaths of one Level-3 Researcher; two Level-1 Researchers; and five ASF personnel. When the survivors of the attack were able to make it to Site-058, they detailed what had happened to the Site Commander, Dr. J██████ RPC-869-2 was classified as RPC-███ and plans to contain it were drafted, but before they could be commenced, RPC-869-3 was discovered. Upon its discovery, Authority researchers noticed a strange pattern with the ██████s of RPC-869-1 through 3 and figured there was some connection between all three anomalies, reclassifying them as RPC-869-1, -2, and -3
Colloquial name: Kamola-Minama
Closest Known Species: Unknown
Territory: Waters near Southern Somalia
Current Status: Deceased
Pencil sketch of RPC-869-3's possible hunting habits done by Researcher Dupuis in 18██
RPC-869-3 is an aquatic animal with a body similar to modern aquatic mammals such as whales and porpoises. It is approximately 10.3 meters in length, with a large snout similar to an elephant's trunk, and a long flipper that can extend to approx. 2 meters in length. RPC-869-3 appears to be the only female instance among RPC-869, as it has been seen laying eggs; however, these eggs cannot be fertilized, making their embryos impossible to analyze.
RPC-869-3 is the only instance of RPC-869 that hasn't been linked to a known prehistoric species, however, several possible theories of its origin have been raised. Based on its reproductive system using eggs despite its mammalian features, some scientists have speculated that it is an early member of the Monotremata Order. Other members of Research have noted its similarities to Kutchicetus minimus and believe it to be a member of an unknown Whippomorpha Infraorder.
RPC-869-3 primarily hunts members of the species Orcinus Orca, although it has been seen hunting other porpoises and fish. It is not currently understood why members of the species migrate through RPC-869's territory, since it is the only location with a natural predator and can easily be avoided. While no complete description of RPC-869-3's predatory behavior and attack pattern was able to be made, a few descriptions of its hunting were made by Authority divers and researchers. This log, made by Researcher J. Dupuis, is the most detailed on record,
"RPC-869-3 will seek to separate a member from their whale pod one at a time, usually by seeming to enrage and challenge larger members of the pod instead of going after weaker links like elderly and adolescent whales. After coercing it to go an acceptable distance away from its pod, RPC-869-3 will proceed to quickly move itself to behind the Orca, extending its tail and wrapping itself around the Orca almost like an anaconda of the Amazon, holding its trunk over the creature's blowhole. Usually, it will hold the whale in this position until it stops moving, but in some cases, it will increase the pressure to a point where the Orca's fluke gets ripped off in the struggle. It will then release itself from the creature and move to its head where it will perform a flip, slamming its tail onto the orca's blowhole, causing the whale to rapidly descend to the seafloor. RPC-869-3 will not do this if it is past the coastal shelf however, not wanting to go too far into the deep ocean. RPC-869-3 can eat up to ██ Orcas per meal."
Discovery: The first pieces of evidence of RPC-869-3 was first seen on 3/21/18██, after Authority Researchers who were exploring the continent noticed large amounts of beached porpoises on the central-eastern coast of Africa, but were unable to determine what was the cause. All whales had large sections taken out of them as if a large group of sharks had been eating at them. At first, researchers believed the local accounts of RPC-869-3 to be simply local legend until 8/18/18██ when RPC-869-3 surfaced while researchers were observing tribespeople playing a local game similar to volleyball. RPC-869-3 had retrieved a ball that had floated out to sea, throwing it at the tribespeople using its trunk. According to notes made by Research Personnel, RPC-869-3 moved and acted, "like a dolphin or porpoise but a bit slower than usual, as if it took more time to process things."
Since the initial discovery, RPC-869-3 has appeared multiple times on the beach nearest to Site-058, often being friendly towards site personnel and allowing researchers to examine it. This has allowed the Authority to get detailed measurements and information about RPC-869-3. (for more detail see document 869-3-M) While Authority personnel were advised to refrain from contact with RPC-869-3, there were no disciplinary actions taken against personnel who interacted with it. This lead to many personnel heading to the beach on their days off and treating RPC-869-3 as a friendly animal, and some personnel calling it Site-058's pet.
This treatment of RPC-869-3 spread among personnel after an incident where an Authority diver had gotten caught on local coral before getting freed by RPC-869-3, with many personnel taking vacation days off just to go out to the beach to see RPC-869-3. As this practice continued, Site administration began using this to keep RPC-869-3 better contained. The idea was that if RPC-869-3 was with Authority personnel, it wouldn't be at a beach where civilians could spot it. The only issue that Site Administration was worried about was an increase in slang usage. The nickname "Trunko" showed up on a few documents, but before there was any need for action, Incident-869-3-1 seemed to cause all personnel to use the official term.
Colloquial name: Kongamato
Closest Known Species: Pterodaustro guinazui
Territory: Southern DRC/Western Tanzania
Current Status: Alive
RPC-869-4 was the last member of RPC-869 to be discovered, being officially recorded into Authority databases in ██/██/190█. Not much is known about RPC-869-4, as it rarely makes visits outside of its nest which has not yet been located, and with it being able to hunt and return to its nest within approximately 5 minutes based on Authority calculations, there is not much time to make observations. The only times that RPC-869-4 can be easily observed is when it spends time searching for a mate. During this period, RPC-869 will fly much slower and vocalize mating calls. Unfortunately, RPC-869-4 is also highly aggressive in this state, and attempts at closer observation during this period have led to the deaths of 20 personnel and the destruction of 7 Authority drones since its discovery.
What can be determined about RPC-869-4 is that it is a type of flying reptile, most similar to the species Pterodaustro guinazui due to observations of baleen-like bristles in its jaw as well as similar hairs found in Lake Tanganyika after its hunts. It differs in several ways, most notably its size. While Pterodaustro guinazui was rather small, only measuring about 2-3 feet tall by most estimates, RPC-869-4 appears to be at least 1.8 meters tall, with a theorized wingspan of 6.1 meters.
It also differs in its eating habits, which may be because of its larger size. Unlike Pterodaustro, which is theorized to have filter-fed on small crustaceans like shrimps, RPC-869-4 prefers to eat fish such as the many cichlids populating Lake Tanganyika. It is believed that RPC-869 possibly uses its baleen in a similar way to Phocoenoides Dalli who presses their prey against their hard upper jaw.
Painting of RPC-869-4 done by researcher Dupuis in 19██
From long-range observations of its hunting behavior, Authority Researchers believe that it hunts its prey by slowly lifting itself up several meters before beginning to dive. It will dive under the lake, often going several feet under, although no exact measurements have been made. As it moves through the water, It will usually grab several fish before resurfacing and returning to its nest, although it has been seen repeating this action several times during some of its hunts. It is unknown if it has any impact on any specific fish species' population in Lake Tanganyika, but based on the other members of RPC-869's importance in their ecosystems, it is believed to have a similar role.
Discovery: RPC-869-4 was discovered after multiple European settlers in the area reported a large avian creature that would descend from the air into the lake, destroying fishing boats in the area. Authority researchers went to Lake Tanganyika, at which point they observed RPC-869 hunting, with it dropping one of the fish it had grabbed a few feet away from the group. Based on the location of RPC-869-4's ██████, Head Researcher I. A████ determined it to be an instance of RPC-869.
Addendum - Notable Historical Influence: Due to RPC-869-4's very aggressive behavior, it has involved itself with several historical events in its territory. During the Battle for Lake Tanganyika in 1916, RPC-869-4 attacked both British and German vessels, and in June and July of 1916, began aggressively attacking German Troops in the town of Kigoma, causing commander Gustav Zimmer to abandon the town and head south. Authority agents administered Class G-2 Amnestics to many of the soldiers involved, with G-2 side effects being blamed on, "Shell Shock," among other causes. Damage to the SMS Graf Götzen and the German base was blamed on British and Belgian bombing raids, with a faux Belgian airport being built near the Allied base to corroborate the explanation.
RPC-869-4 was also heavily responsible for Che Guevara's abandonment of his base located beside Lake Tanganyika, constantly attacking his guerrilla forces before they were able to launch attacks in The Congo, causing Che to leave his base within a year of first setting it up. As most of these forces were killed in subsequent battles, there was no need for a large-scale Authority coverup.
The most recent event RPC-869-4 was involved in was a skirmish when RPC-666 manifested east of Lake Tanganyika, presumably due to the Second Congo War, on August 13th, 2002. RPC-869-4, who was in one of its mating cycles, saw RPC-666 and began flying towards it, managing to fly to it within █.█ seconds. However, it was unable to cause any notable damage to RPC-666, only temporarily disabling its nose-mounted machine gun, before retreating due to the intense cold surrounding RPC-666. As it was retreating it was hit by one of RPC-666's missiles, but the exact effect this had on RPC-869-4 cannot be determined since it went into hiding for several months after the incident. Ever since the incident, RPC-869-4 has been wary when near helicopters, both civilian and military. Authority researchers have been considering incorporating this fear into containment protocols, to lower RPC-869-4's aggression.