Beacon

My entry for the Splice contest.

Meet Beacon.

He's a combination of octopus and chimpanzee.

This creature was created to be a revolution in service and rescue animals. Highly intelligent, strong, dexterous and capable of squeezing through very tight spaces with ease. Excellent for locating the trapped/injured in rescue missions that prove very difficult for rescue dogs, humans and remote cameras to reach, such as collapsed buildings and mine shafts. He is capable of inflicting far worse injuries than an octopus or chimp could inflict as separate entities, but he is generally of a helpful, insatiably curious temperament, making him an ideal helper animal well worth the risk of enlisting the help of, when properly trained.

As you can see Beacon can be quite a character. He loves oatmeal cookies for instance, and when missing from his containment (he is an amazing escape-artist), he's usually found in the lab lounge, munching away on them. Then when he's returned to his enclosure, minus his cookies, he can throw a sizable fit.