While the scientists at Horizon were eager to proceed with the uplifting of the several specimens that came from the Amazon, there were other things to do first. Namely the uplifting of the Chinese Giant Pangolins and the platypuses that had been delivered to them.
Not that these animals wouldn't be interesting cases for uplifting themselves. Both species were very unique and had rather odd properties. The pangolin's most remarkable feature was its complete coat of armor. Everything except for its face and belly was encased in hard scales of keratin. And unlike most species of armadillo that it resembled, with the exception of the three-banded armadillo, the pangolin has the flexibility to curl itself into a ball that was almost impenetrable to predators. Such an impressive set of armor had caused ancient Chinese to hunt the pangolin so they could used its scales to make chainmail-like armor. But it was more often hunted for its meat and its scales to be used in traditional medicines. Such heavy hunting of it has caused serious declines in the pangolin population and it has been called the most trafficked animal in the world. That was why the Chinese government has given Horizon two of these increasingly rare animals; to promote awareness of the pangolin's plight in the wild.
The platypus is considered unusual, well, because of everything about it. The odd egg-laying creature that looked half-duck/half-beaver was so weird that the first reports and sketches of the platypus were believed to be hoaxes. In addition to that, there was a bizarre sexual dimorphism in that males had venomous spurs on their rear legs and females possessed only one functional ovary. And like the other extant species of monotreme, the echidna, the platypus lacks teats and the mother has to feed their young releasing milk through pores in her skin. The platypus was just so darn weird, the Australian government had donated a pair almost entirely out of curiosity to see what would happen. Of course, the success of their uplifting would be added encouragement for the attempt to recreate a Tasmanian tiger from museum specimens.
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While it was easy to inject the Animalia virus into the platypuses, the pangolins were a different problem. Their scaly armor made it nearly impossible to stick a needle in and naturally it was adverse to having a needle put in its face or its belly. Eventually, the scientist decided to administer the virus the same way the virus had been introduced to the first citizens of Animalia: by putting it in their drinking water. They had to wait a while before the pangolins got thirsty enough to drink, but fortunately they drank at about the same time.
The pangolins' transformation was very interesting to observe. They increased in size rapidly, though their prehensile tails weren't growing as fast so they wouldn't be over twice their body's length. The hind legs that they were capable of walking on in a T-Rex fashion were growing a lot longer, allowing them for a faster gait. Their forelegs extended further into arms as their claws became a lot more flexible as they formed into hands. As the pangolins took on their final anthropomorphic form, it was clear to see that their scales really were like a living suit of armor. Though their chests were still uncovered which made it easier to see the changes to them. With Shing, the male, his pectorals and abdominals became more prominent as he bulked up. With Yan, the female, her repositioned teats rapidly swelled until they became new nipples on top of some impressive breasts.
By comparison, the platypuses' transformations wasn't that spectacular, particularly for those who have seen an otter or beaver be uplifted before. The most interesting part was when the female, Petunia, let out a gasp as she developed nipples before the flesh beneath them started expanding into new breasts. The male was impressively built and he still has his venomous spurs which were probably more deadly now that he could kick with more efficiency. It was no real surprise that he was named Perry after the very famous platypus agent. An examination of Petunia afterwards showed that she had two perfectly functional ovaries now, though she was still expected to lay eggs.
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Over all, the uplifting of the pangolins and the platypuses went very well. The two pairs will soon become important parts of Animalian society, the pangolin pair with helping preserve members of their mundane species and the platypus pair was expected to become very well-known celebrities in Australia.
After that, it was time to focus on the various specimens brought up from South America, starting with Calypso and Calliope. It wasn't just the twin-headed anaconda's failing health or its unusual nature that placed them on the top of the list. The very unusual serpent had a chance to become something rather extraordinary.
While Project Chimera ended up folding before it began, the scientists did learn from the experience. There was a possibility of blending the traits of two separate species with the Animalian virus. But there was clearly a limit to what could be blended with what. Teela's inclusion of snakelike traits into her uplifted eel body was because eels and snakes had a similar design. Blending the traits of another snake species into Calypso and Calliope would be a lot smoother and biologically-stable than the lion and goat DNA that was planned.
And not just any snake. A few years ago, an albino rat snake was born with two heads and had been carefully raised in captivity at St Louis's World Aquarium. The rat snake, appropriately named "We", was remarkable for more than just its two heads. It was also a functional hermaphrodite though attempts to breed it with another twin-headed rat snake were unsuccessful. In 2006, "We" was adopted by Nutra Pharma Corporation, a biotechnology company developing treatments using modified cobra venom and cobratoxin. Sadly, "We" passed away of natural causes the next year, shortly after Nutra Pharma had acquired it.
In the present, Nutra Pharma was entering a mutually-beneficially partnership with Animalia. In return for sponsorship for the IAC and other important parts of Animalia, Nutra Pharma would get snake Animalians to advertise for their company. In addition, Nutra Pharma also gave Horizon Labs DNA samples from the preserved body of "We" to use on Calypso and Calliope. In exchange, the two-headed anaconda will become a mascot for Nutra Pharma, whether or not she developed hermaphroditic traits. Of course, the offer was going to be made to Calypso and Calliope once they've been uplifted, but considering the generous offer, it was unlikely that they'll turn it down.
Author's note: Believe it or not, I am actually NOT making anything up regarding "We". Everything non-Animalian about it is true, look it up.