Escafil device
Encyclopedia
The Escafil device is a fictional technological apparatus from K.A. Applegate's popular children's book series Animorphs
. It is the proper name for the "Andalite
morphing cube", a device that when operated gives the user the ability to 'acquire' a copy of DNA
patterns from any animal
that physical contact is made with, allowing the user to transform into that animal through morphing
.
's description of it in The Invasion
:
To give the five children the morphing power, Prince Elfangor instructs them to each press one hand against one side of the cube; he then places his hand on the sixth side, and presumably operates the device, in an unknown manner.
The Escafil devices material composition is unknown, as is its internal structure or the manner in which it bestows the morphing ability upon the user. The device was named after one of the creators of the morphing technology, an Andalite of genius intellect by their own standards. In The Hork-Bajir Chronicles
, the Andalite character Aldrea
mentions that the mother of a friend was a developer of the technology; the book does not mention if this individual is Escafil. Indeed, it is unclear whether Escafil was a male or a female, though the latter is more likely; the books mention that scientific research is considered an appropriate field for Andalite women, while males tend to be warriors (although by the time of Elfangor, the Andalite military sought more well-rounded warriors, proficient in battle as well as the arts and science). Ax
mentions that the Escafil device is known by other names, but none are ever given.
. The technology is a closely guarded secret, and is normally only given to and used by members of the Andalite species; the only non-Andalites to morph are the five human Animorphs, Visser Three
, David, the temporary sixth Animorph, the Auxiliary Animorphs, and various creatures which accidentally or deliberately operated the Escafil device. Near the end of the series, the Yeerk
s managed to obtain the Escafil device and gained morphing abilities.
There is the issue of the nothlit, one trapped in morph by staying in morph for longer than two hours, as previously mentioned. However, one can make the assumption that their matter, if in Z-space, would deteriorate or disconnect from the individual it originally belonged to, which may also be the reason that a morph cannot usually be sustained for more than two hours.
It was never revealed where morphers acquire the excess mass that they must use when morphing into something significantly larger than themselves, such as an elephant or a whale.
. The escafil device can only be used once by each being. Once a being becomes a nothlit, they cannot regain the ability to morph. (In the book series, the only "documented" cases of morphing ability being returned to a nothlit involved assistance from a very powerful being known as the Ellimist
).
One of the greatest properties of morphing is rooted in the biological physics of DNA. Because DNA is isolated and encapsulated coding for the genetic make up of a specific living form, it is unaffected by any injury. Hence, any injury sustained while either in morph or in natural form will be instantly cured by morphing to another form (if morphing back to original form, the term used is "demorphing", though earlier on in the series, "unmorph" was used sparingly). The DNA of the animal whose form sustained the injury is, of course, unaffected, effectively replenishing that animal/form. For example, if injured while in morph, one can demorph and be healthy, and remorph back to the animal form without any injury; likewise you can acquire the DNA of an injured animal and turn into a healthy animal. The one case in which this failed to work was in Megamorphs #2: In the Time of Dinosaurs
, when Tobias
' attempts to fix his broken wing by morphing repeatedly failed, apparently due to the time travel; how exactly this would affect morphing is unknown.
. The natural metamorphosis of any animal morphed, such as the transformation of a caterpillar
into a butterfly
, essentially resets the biological clock, giving the being in morph a space of approximately two hours to demorph.
In the third book The Encounter
, the Animorphs seem to have outdone the two-hour limit. The four of them (Tobias being trapped in morph and Ax not having been introduced at this point), were in wolf morph and were 10 minutes past the two hour time limit when they started to demorph. It was only with sheer will power and concentration on human form that they managed to turn back, though the time on the truck (which Tobias gleened the time from) could have been off. Similarly in another book, Marco was part-way through demorphing when the clock ran out. He only managed to complete the process because he believed that if he hadn't, he would have lived out his life as a human-sized flea freak of nature.
In the 16th book, The Warning
, Rachel and Ax both passed the two hour time limit. However, Fenestre had captured the two in a suspended time state known as 'biostasis'. This apparently prevented the two from passing the two hour time limit, as their bodies were effectively frozen in time.
Another possibility is that the time limit is not exact. Two hours seems to be the point at which demorphing becomes incredibly difficult, and requires massive will power to overcome, but is not actually impossible.
Other than these cases, the only way to avoid the morphing clock is through the intervention of a being like the Ellimist
or Crayak
.
, when Jake, as a controller, morphs into an ant. An ant is far smaller than a Yeerk, so otherwise Jake would have been killed by destruction of his head.
.
Some beings with the ability to morph are able to control the morphing process in a way that makes it look beautiful rather than disgusting, and are better able to endure the strain of repeated morphing over a short amount of time (as demonstrated by Cassie
in Megamorphs #1: The Andalite's Gift
.) There appears to be no biological explanation for this, merely an inherent talent that is evident predominantly in females and seems linked to the psychological makeup of an individual. One of the main human characters from Animorphs was an estreen (see Cassie
). It is thought possible, however, that under extreme stress and with great motivation, that one who is not an estreen may be able to control the morphing process in some way. Andalite estreens can make a living based on their talent, for example Estrid-Corill-Darrath's mother, a "morph dancer". While the talent is considered mostly aesthetic, it can apparently be useful.
, the Tyrannosaurus
and the fictional Taxxons. More intelligent animals, such as great apes, have little to no raw animal instinct to overcome.
Because most animal brains are not powerful enough to accommodate human thought, the morpher's "consciousness" along with their bodymass (see below) is pushed into Zero-space but retains a mental link with their new body.
found themselves unable to morph into small forms due to chips in their brains too large to fit into a fly head. Some have found success in integrating very small amounts of skintight clothing into morphs. Usually this would consist of things such as leotard
s or similarly tight items, and no shoes. With practice this ability can be improved as evidenced in much later adventures where the Animorphs eventually learn to morph thicker clothes.
There have been recorded cases of a variety of fatal and painful gene-sickness that leads Andalites to use their morphing abilities to permanently transform into another Andalite and become a nothlit, albeit a healthy one, in turn. This, however, is seen as a sign of ultimate disgrace by other Andalites.
once with a crocodile morph.
and is eaten alive. In the ensuring battle and destruction of the evidence (the newspapers report it as "some kids playing with fireworks"), the Animorphs assume that the box was destroyed.
However, in The Discovery
(#20), Marco
is surprised to see a kid named David
carrying the box. David says that he found it in the abandoned construction site. He also says that he has received an offer for the box. Marco, sensing trouble, calls the other Animorphs, and rushes over to David's house. The person making an offer turns out to be Visser Three
. In the ensuring battle, the Animorphs manage to save David and the box, but the Yeerks take David's parents. The Animorphs decide to make David an Animorph, as his parents have become Controllers
and he knows everything. However, David soon becomes disillusioned and begins insisting that he wants to leave the group. He also wants the Escafil device because he was the one who found it. The Animorphs feign an agreement and send Rachel with David to the old construction site where they "hid" the device. After trapping him in rat morph, they reveal that the blue box piece was just a Lego
. The Escafil device secured, Cassie hides the blue box in a water pump outside of her barn.
The Escafil device comes into play against the Helmacron
s, who see it as a power source. In #24
, the Helmacrons' two ships try to seize the box; their ship can sense where the box is located and who holds that power. They succeed in taking the box and use its power to shrink other beings to their small size. The frustration leads to a very minor alliance between the Yeerks and the Animorphs. In the end, however, the Animorphs manage to get the box back and unshrink everybody.
The Yeerks later find a damaged Helmacron ship and fix it in their attempt to find the Escafil device. The sensoring technology is placed in a helicopter, where the Yeerks home in on the signal. The Animorphs break up the cube into six pieces and try to elude the Yeerks, morphing at various times to distract the ship. They finally plan to bring down the helicopter by having Cassie
morph into a humpback whale and fall onto the helicopter. However, as she is tired from so much morphing, she messes up the plan. Fortunately, a seagull flying by at the time is sucked into the engine, destroying the helicopter.
When the small skirmishes turn into a full-fledged war, the Animorphs feel outnumbered and trapped. They decide to recruit other Animorphs, calling them the Auxiliary Animorphs
, who would take their place in case the original five were killed. They bring along the box three separate times to a disabled kids' home and give the morphing power to 17 other kids. When they go to a school of the blind, however, they discover that it is under surveillance by Controllers led by Tom, who seizes the box. A select circle of Yeerks receive the power to morph, complicating the Animorphs' fight.
In the final battle, Tom still has the Escafil device, and presumably takes it up on the Blade Ship. Jake secretly sends Rachel to the ship with Tom. When Tom hails the Pool Ship, he is shocked to see that Jake is still alive. Jake sends the order for Rachel to kill Tom. She succeeds, but the Blade Ship manages to escape, and the original Escafil device remains in the hands of Tom's closest associates.
In the negotiations following the Animorphs surrender of the Yeerk Pool ship to the Andalites, Ax receives four Escafil devices for his personal use. Like the Animorphs promise, they have the remaining Yeerks acquire an animal to become a nothlit
. The Taxxon
s also become nothlits, morphing into giant anaconda
s and "other way-too-big snakes", as Marco puts it.
Animorphs
Animorphs is an English language science fiction series of young adult books written by K. A. Applegate and published by Scholastic. Five humans, Jake, Marco, Cassie, Rachel, and Tobias, and one alien, Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill , obtain the ability to morph into any animal they touch. They name...
. It is the proper name for the "Andalite
Andalite
The Andalites are a fictional alien race of grazers in the Scholastic book series Animorphs.-Biology:The Andalites are fictional aliens from the book series and TV series Animorphs....
morphing cube", a device that when operated gives the user the ability to 'acquire' a copy of DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
patterns from any animal
Animal
Animals are a major group of multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously and...
that physical contact is made with, allowing the user to transform into that animal through morphing
Shapeshifting
Shapeshifting is a common theme in mythology, folklore, and fairy tales. It is also found in epic poems, science fiction literature, fantasy literature, children's literature, Shakespearean comedy, ballet, film, television, comics, and video games...
.
Escafil device
The Escafil device appears in Animorphs as a four-by-four-by-four inch, blue cube, according to JakeJake Berenson
Jake Berenson is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists from the science-fiction book series Animorphs, written by K. A. Applegate. Until the penultimate book of the series, his last name was never revealed, and he was known only as Jake...
's description of it in The Invasion
The Invasion (Animorphs)
The Invasion, published in 1996 and written by K. A. Applegate, is the first book in the Animorphs series. It is narrated by Jake.-Plot summary:...
:
It was sky blue and square, maybe four inches on each side. It seemed kind of heavy for being so small.
To give the five children the morphing power, Prince Elfangor instructs them to each press one hand against one side of the cube; he then places his hand on the sixth side, and presumably operates the device, in an unknown manner.
Something like a shock, only pleasurable, seemed to run through me. A tingle that almost made me laugh.
The Escafil devices material composition is unknown, as is its internal structure or the manner in which it bestows the morphing ability upon the user. The device was named after one of the creators of the morphing technology, an Andalite of genius intellect by their own standards. In The Hork-Bajir Chronicles
The Hork-Bajir Chronicles
The Hork-Bajir Chronicles is the second companion book to the Animorphs series, written by K. A. Applegate. With respect to continuity within the series, it takes place before book #23, The Pretender, although the events told in the story occur between the time of The Ellimist Chronicles and The...
, the Andalite character Aldrea
Aldrea
Aldrea-Iskillion-Falan is a fictional character in the Animorphs series.Aldrea is the daughter of Prince Seerow, a main character in Animorphs 34: The Prophecy and the heroine in The Hork-Bajir Chronicles...
mentions that the mother of a friend was a developer of the technology; the book does not mention if this individual is Escafil. Indeed, it is unclear whether Escafil was a male or a female, though the latter is more likely; the books mention that scientific research is considered an appropriate field for Andalite women, while males tend to be warriors (although by the time of Elfangor, the Andalite military sought more well-rounded warriors, proficient in battle as well as the arts and science). Ax
Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill
Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill is a fictional character from the sci-fi book series Animorphs.-Biography:Aximili is a young Andalite who becomes stranded on Earth when the Andalite Dome Ship GalaxyTree is shot down by Yeerk fighters...
mentions that the Escafil device is known by other names, but none are ever given.
Morphing Technology
Andalite morphing technology is a fairly recent technological development, according to Prince Elfangor in The Andalite ChroniclesThe Andalite Chronicles
The Andalite Chronicles is a science-fiction novel, and is the first companion book to the Animorphs series, written by K. A. Applegate. Within the timeline of the series, this book takes place before the first book in the series, The Invasion...
. The technology is a closely guarded secret, and is normally only given to and used by members of the Andalite species; the only non-Andalites to morph are the five human Animorphs, Visser Three
Visser Three
Visser Three, born as Esplin 9466 Primary and later known as Visser One, is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the sci-fi book series Animorphs, written by K.A. Applegate. He is the leader of the Yeerk forces on Earth, having inherited the planet from Edriss 562, who was Visser One at...
, David, the temporary sixth Animorph, the Auxiliary Animorphs, and various creatures which accidentally or deliberately operated the Escafil device. Near the end of the series, the Yeerk
Yeerk
Yeerks are a fictional extraterrestrial species from the book and television series "Animorphs" written by K. A. Applegate and published by Scholastic.-Biology:...
s managed to obtain the Escafil device and gained morphing abilities.
Connection with Zero-Space
When one morphs a being smaller than themselves, the extra mass (excess skin, bones etc.) is extruded into Z-space. In the rare event that a ship would pass by, they would be drawn into it and likely vaporized or disentegrated by the ship's forcefield. According to a recently documented occurrence, the being's consciousness is pulled back to the mass in Z-space, rather than staying with the morphed body as usual. It used to be thought that the mass would be disorganized, random blobs, but it is now known, or at least conjectured, that the mass is in fact fully formed and proportioned. Should the mass survive somehow, it is subject to a 'snap-back' effect, causing the consciousness to return to the original body, with no time passing whatsoever.There is the issue of the nothlit, one trapped in morph by staying in morph for longer than two hours, as previously mentioned. However, one can make the assumption that their matter, if in Z-space, would deteriorate or disconnect from the individual it originally belonged to, which may also be the reason that a morph cannot usually be sustained for more than two hours.
It was never revealed where morphers acquire the excess mass that they must use when morphing into something significantly larger than themselves, such as an elephant or a whale.
Limitations
An individual can gain a limitless numbers of samples of DNA. There is a 2-hour time-limit for staying in morphed form, and if a person stays morphed longer than that, they are forever trapped in that form. The Andalite term for one trapped in morph is a nothlitNothlit
In the fictional Animorphs series by K. A. Applegate, a nothlit is a being trapped in a morph. If one stays in a morph for over two Earth hours, that form becomes permanent. They are unable to use the Escafil device to regain their morphing power...
. The escafil device can only be used once by each being. Once a being becomes a nothlit, they cannot regain the ability to morph. (In the book series, the only "documented" cases of morphing ability being returned to a nothlit involved assistance from a very powerful being known as the Ellimist
Ellimist
The Ellimist is a fictional character from the science fiction novel series Animorphs.The Ellimist is an almost god-like being, displaying many reality warping powers, though it is stated several times that while he appears to be, he is not omnipotent. By standard values, the Ellimist is a force of...
).
One of the greatest properties of morphing is rooted in the biological physics of DNA. Because DNA is isolated and encapsulated coding for the genetic make up of a specific living form, it is unaffected by any injury. Hence, any injury sustained while either in morph or in natural form will be instantly cured by morphing to another form (if morphing back to original form, the term used is "demorphing", though earlier on in the series, "unmorph" was used sparingly). The DNA of the animal whose form sustained the injury is, of course, unaffected, effectively replenishing that animal/form. For example, if injured while in morph, one can demorph and be healthy, and remorph back to the animal form without any injury; likewise you can acquire the DNA of an injured animal and turn into a healthy animal. The one case in which this failed to work was in Megamorphs #2: In the Time of Dinosaurs
In the Time of Dinosaurs (Megamorphs)
#2: In the Time of Dinosaurs is the second book in the series, a set of companion books to the Animorphs series. With respect to continuity, it takes place between book #18, The Decision and book #19, The Departure...
, when Tobias
Tobias (Animorphs)
Tobias is a fictional character from the sci-fi book series Animorphs written by K.A. Applegate. His surname is never mentioned, but had the Ellimist not altered time in order to take his father, Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul, back to his old life, his full name would have been Tobias Fangor, the...
' attempts to fix his broken wing by morphing repeatedly failed, apparently due to the time travel; how exactly this would affect morphing is unknown.
Loopholes
The time-limit for staying "in morph", which was long thought in the series to be final and deadly, has at least one minor loopholeLoophole
A loophole is a weakness that allows a system to be circumvented.Loophole may also refer to:*Arrowslit, a slit in a castle wall*Loophole , a short science fiction story by Arthur C...
. The natural metamorphosis of any animal morphed, such as the transformation of a caterpillar
Caterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
into a butterfly
Butterfly
A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...
, essentially resets the biological clock, giving the being in morph a space of approximately two hours to demorph.
In the third book The Encounter
The Encounter (Animorphs)
The Encounter, published in 1996 and written by written by K. A. Applegate, is the third book in the Animorphs series. It is narrated by Tobias.-Plot summary:...
, the Animorphs seem to have outdone the two-hour limit. The four of them (Tobias being trapped in morph and Ax not having been introduced at this point), were in wolf morph and were 10 minutes past the two hour time limit when they started to demorph. It was only with sheer will power and concentration on human form that they managed to turn back, though the time on the truck (which Tobias gleened the time from) could have been off. Similarly in another book, Marco was part-way through demorphing when the clock ran out. He only managed to complete the process because he believed that if he hadn't, he would have lived out his life as a human-sized flea freak of nature.
In the 16th book, The Warning
The Warning (Animorphs)
The Warning is the sixteenth book in the Animorphs series, written by K.A. Applegate. It is narrated by Jake.-Plot summary:Jake discovers a Yeerk website, but is it what it seems? It looks like a crazy mix of fact and fiction. He's not sure if it's a Yeerk trap, or a place for potential...
, Rachel and Ax both passed the two hour time limit. However, Fenestre had captured the two in a suspended time state known as 'biostasis'. This apparently prevented the two from passing the two hour time limit, as their bodies were effectively frozen in time.
Another possibility is that the time limit is not exact. Two hours seems to be the point at which demorphing becomes incredibly difficult, and requires massive will power to overcome, but is not actually impossible.
Other than these cases, the only way to avoid the morphing clock is through the intervention of a being like the Ellimist
Ellimist
The Ellimist is a fictional character from the science fiction novel series Animorphs.The Ellimist is an almost god-like being, displaying many reality warping powers, though it is stated several times that while he appears to be, he is not omnipotent. By standard values, the Ellimist is a force of...
or Crayak
Crayak
Crayak is a fictional character and villain from the science-fiction book series Animorphs, written by K. A. Applegate.-Description:Crayak is a nearly omnipotent entity appearing in the form of an armless cyborg with massive limbs and nothing but what would resemble as a blood-red eye for a head...
.
Acquiring Process
When an animal is 'acquired', it becomes docile, similar to being tranquilized. This effect lasts for mere seconds after the acquiring is completed, so for it to be advantageous, it would have to be used quite carefully. Rarely, the acquiring process has no effect whatsoever, and the animal is not affected. This is very uncommon, however, and not usually an issue. There is no known limit as to how many morphs one can possess, though one would assume by means of its storage that the number would be quite high. The DNA is stored inside the body within a small, molecular sphere, supercooled to subzero temperatures, lying dormant until called upon for a morph. Therefore, the body would be capable of holding much more than would ever be conceivably necessary to a morpher. As a final note, a particularly useful aspect of morphing is the Frolis Maneuver, in which one combines the DNA of several samples from the same species, to create a new being for a morph. This could be used, for example, to avoid having an exact duplicate of a human when in morph, should one be morphing a human. This refers to Ax's human morph, in which he acquired DNA from the first four members of the Animorphs to create an "unattractive girl or a very pretty boy", as Marco once said. Evidently, Yeerks controlling morph-capable individuals morph with their hosts and fuse with the new body. This is shown in The CaptureThe Capture (Animorphs)
The Capture, published in 1997 and written by K.A. Applegate, is the sixth book in the Animorphs series. It is narrated by Jake. The Capture is due to be re-releasd by Scholastic in March 2012.-Plot summary:...
, when Jake, as a controller, morphs into an ant. An ant is far smaller than a Yeerk, so otherwise Jake would have been killed by destruction of his head.
Morphing Experience
To begin the process of morphing, one with the morphing abilities must meditatively visualize an animal whose DNA they have previously acquired. Morphing is a visually disturbing but ultimately painless process that takes about two minutes to complete, but can be sped up through practice and experience. It also produces fatigue in the morpher, but this, too, can be lessened with practice. The process of morphing is very erratic; there is no definitive order of transformation, meaning any part of the body could be the first to transform and any combination of the remaining body parts could follow. Only certain beings are blessed with the innate ability to control the process. Such a being is known in the Andalite world as an estreenAndalite terminology
A compilation of Andalite terminology used throughout the Animorphs series.*Andalite Homeworld: The name of the native planet of the Andalites is not given in the series, and is simply referred to as the Andalite homeworld. It possesses more than one sun, which gives its sky a red-gold hue, and the...
.
Estreens
Some beings with the ability to morph are able to control the morphing process in a way that makes it look beautiful rather than disgusting, and are better able to endure the strain of repeated morphing over a short amount of time (as demonstrated by Cassie
Cassie (Animorphs)
Cassie is a fictional character from the sci-fi book series Animorphs, written by K. A. Applegate. Her last name is never mentioned, although she referred to it as being "nice" in The Secret.-Biography:...
in Megamorphs #1: The Andalite's Gift
The Andalite's Gift (Megamorphs)
#1: The Andalite's Gift is the first book in the series, a set of companion books to the Animorphs series. With respect to continuity, it takes place between book #7, The Stranger and book #8, The Alien...
.) There appears to be no biological explanation for this, merely an inherent talent that is evident predominantly in females and seems linked to the psychological makeup of an individual. One of the main human characters from Animorphs was an estreen (see Cassie
Cassie (Animorphs)
Cassie is a fictional character from the sci-fi book series Animorphs, written by K. A. Applegate. Her last name is never mentioned, although she referred to it as being "nice" in The Secret.-Biography:...
). It is thought possible, however, that under extreme stress and with great motivation, that one who is not an estreen may be able to control the morphing process in some way. Andalite estreens can make a living based on their talent, for example Estrid-Corill-Darrath's mother, a "morph dancer". While the talent is considered mostly aesthetic, it can apparently be useful.
Morphed Condition
After morphing, the being is able to communicate in thought-speak, like an Andalite. He or she still has their own mind, but also has the animal's instincts. When morphing to animals with particularly strong instincts, one may struggle to reassert their consciousness. Examples of animals with particularly strong instincts that were featured in the series include seagulls, dogs, ants, fliesFließ
Fließ is a municipality in the Landeck district and is located5 km south of Landeck on the upper course of the Inn River. It has 9 hamlets and was already populated at the roman age; the village itself was founded around the 6th century. After a conflagration in 1933 Fließ was restored more...
, the Tyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus meaning "tyrant," and sauros meaning "lizard") is a genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur. The species Tyrannosaurus rex , commonly abbreviated to T. rex, is a fixture in popular culture. It lived throughout what is now western North America, with a much wider range than other...
and the fictional Taxxons. More intelligent animals, such as great apes, have little to no raw animal instinct to overcome.
Because most animal brains are not powerful enough to accommodate human thought, the morpher's "consciousness" along with their bodymass (see below) is pushed into Zero-space but retains a mental link with their new body.
Effects of Morphing and Demorphing
Any damage or injury sustained while in the morph will be healed, as the body is based purely on the DNA. In the morpher's own body, as in Megamorphs: In th Time of the Dinosaurs, injuries do not heal.Therefore, similar to injuries, things such as surgeries and implants would not affect the morph as well. Foreign objects inside the body do not necessarily remove themselves. While in most cases bullets and other debris have been known to dislodge during morphing, some do not, although usually are too small to be harmful. There was an instance, however, when the AnimorphsAnimorphs
Animorphs is an English language science fiction series of young adult books written by K. A. Applegate and published by Scholastic. Five humans, Jake, Marco, Cassie, Rachel, and Tobias, and one alien, Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill , obtain the ability to morph into any animal they touch. They name...
found themselves unable to morph into small forms due to chips in their brains too large to fit into a fly head. Some have found success in integrating very small amounts of skintight clothing into morphs. Usually this would consist of things such as leotard
Leotard
A leotard is a skin-tight one-piece garment that covers the torso but leaves the legs free. It was made famous by the French acrobatic performer Jules Léotard ....
s or similarly tight items, and no shoes. With practice this ability can be improved as evidenced in much later adventures where the Animorphs eventually learn to morph thicker clothes.
There have been recorded cases of a variety of fatal and painful gene-sickness that leads Andalites to use their morphing abilities to permanently transform into another Andalite and become a nothlit, albeit a healthy one, in turn. This, however, is seen as a sign of ultimate disgrace by other Andalites.
Morphing Sickness
'Morphing-sickness' is a rarely documented case when a morpher is allergic to DNA they have acquired. They become nauseous, and are prone to involuntary bouts of morphing when under stress. After a certain amount of time, between a few days and a week, one 'burps' the DNA so to speak, forcing out the creature in its entirety. Through the cascading cellular regeneration, an entirely new animal is created, and expelled from the morpher's system. They are then faced with the problem of having the animal there in the first place, should this animal prove to be dangerous. This process of expelling the DNA is called hereth illint. In the books, this happens to RachelRachel (Animorphs)
Rachel is a fictional character from the sci-fi book series Animorphs. Her full name is never explicitly mentioned in the books, but her relation to her cousin Jake Berenson through their fathers makes it most likely to be Rachel Berenson, if it was never changed or hyphenated.-Biography:Before the...
once with a crocodile morph.
The Escafil Device in Animorphs
As Elfangor lay dying, he decided to give the morphing power to the five kids surrounding him. Jake went and got the box, and five kids and Elfangor pressed their hands to the box. After giving them a quick set of instructions, including the two-hour warning, Elfangor confronts Visser ThreeVisser Three
Visser Three, born as Esplin 9466 Primary and later known as Visser One, is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the sci-fi book series Animorphs, written by K.A. Applegate. He is the leader of the Yeerk forces on Earth, having inherited the planet from Edriss 562, who was Visser One at...
and is eaten alive. In the ensuring battle and destruction of the evidence (the newspapers report it as "some kids playing with fireworks"), the Animorphs assume that the box was destroyed.
However, in The Discovery
The Discovery (Animorphs)
The Discovery is the twentieth book in the Animorphs series, written by K.A. Applegate. It is narrated by Marco. It is the first book in the David trilogy.-Plot summary:...
(#20), Marco
Marco (Animorphs)
Marco is a fictional character from the sci-fi book series, Animorphs, written by K. A. Applegate. His last name is never mentioned.-Biography:...
is surprised to see a kid named David
David (Animorphs)
David is a fictional character from the sci-fi book series Animorphs, written by K. A. Applegate. His last name is never mentioned. David was introduced in the "David Trilogy", which included the regular-series books #20 The Discovery, #21 The Threat, and #22 The Solution...
carrying the box. David says that he found it in the abandoned construction site. He also says that he has received an offer for the box. Marco, sensing trouble, calls the other Animorphs, and rushes over to David's house. The person making an offer turns out to be Visser Three
Visser Three
Visser Three, born as Esplin 9466 Primary and later known as Visser One, is a fictional character and the main antagonist of the sci-fi book series Animorphs, written by K.A. Applegate. He is the leader of the Yeerk forces on Earth, having inherited the planet from Edriss 562, who was Visser One at...
. In the ensuring battle, the Animorphs manage to save David and the box, but the Yeerks take David's parents. The Animorphs decide to make David an Animorph, as his parents have become Controllers
Human Controller
In the Animorphs series of children's books, a human controller is a human who has a Yeerk residing in their brain and controlling them...
and he knows everything. However, David soon becomes disillusioned and begins insisting that he wants to leave the group. He also wants the Escafil device because he was the one who found it. The Animorphs feign an agreement and send Rachel with David to the old construction site where they "hid" the device. After trapping him in rat morph, they reveal that the blue box piece was just a Lego
Lego
Lego is a line of construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of colorful interlocking plastic bricks and an accompanying array of gears, minifigures and various other parts...
. The Escafil device secured, Cassie hides the blue box in a water pump outside of her barn.
The Escafil device comes into play against the Helmacron
Helmacron
The Helmacrons are a fictional race of aliens in the Animorphs universe. They are about a sixteenth of an inch tall with humanoid bodies with another set of legs. Their heads are perfectly flat on top, with large green eyes sitting on them. Their faces come down from the top in an inverted pyramid...
s, who see it as a power source. In #24
The Suspicion (Animorphs)
The Suspicion is the twenty-fourth book in the Animorphs series, written by K.A. Applegate. It is narrated by Cassie.-Plot summary:...
, the Helmacrons' two ships try to seize the box; their ship can sense where the box is located and who holds that power. They succeed in taking the box and use its power to shrink other beings to their small size. The frustration leads to a very minor alliance between the Yeerks and the Animorphs. In the end, however, the Animorphs manage to get the box back and unshrink everybody.
The Yeerks later find a damaged Helmacron ship and fix it in their attempt to find the Escafil device. The sensoring technology is placed in a helicopter, where the Yeerks home in on the signal. The Animorphs break up the cube into six pieces and try to elude the Yeerks, morphing at various times to distract the ship. They finally plan to bring down the helicopter by having Cassie
Cassie (Animorphs)
Cassie is a fictional character from the sci-fi book series Animorphs, written by K. A. Applegate. Her last name is never mentioned, although she referred to it as being "nice" in The Secret.-Biography:...
morph into a humpback whale and fall onto the helicopter. However, as she is tired from so much morphing, she messes up the plan. Fortunately, a seagull flying by at the time is sucked into the engine, destroying the helicopter.
When the small skirmishes turn into a full-fledged war, the Animorphs feel outnumbered and trapped. They decide to recruit other Animorphs, calling them the Auxiliary Animorphs
Auxiliary Animorphs
The Auxiliary Animorphs are a team of fictional characters from the Animorphs series by K. A. Applegate. All of them were physically disabled in some form...
, who would take their place in case the original five were killed. They bring along the box three separate times to a disabled kids' home and give the morphing power to 17 other kids. When they go to a school of the blind, however, they discover that it is under surveillance by Controllers led by Tom, who seizes the box. A select circle of Yeerks receive the power to morph, complicating the Animorphs' fight.
In the final battle, Tom still has the Escafil device, and presumably takes it up on the Blade Ship. Jake secretly sends Rachel to the ship with Tom. When Tom hails the Pool Ship, he is shocked to see that Jake is still alive. Jake sends the order for Rachel to kill Tom. She succeeds, but the Blade Ship manages to escape, and the original Escafil device remains in the hands of Tom's closest associates.
In the negotiations following the Animorphs surrender of the Yeerk Pool ship to the Andalites, Ax receives four Escafil devices for his personal use. Like the Animorphs promise, they have the remaining Yeerks acquire an animal to become a nothlit
Nothlit
In the fictional Animorphs series by K. A. Applegate, a nothlit is a being trapped in a morph. If one stays in a morph for over two Earth hours, that form becomes permanent. They are unable to use the Escafil device to regain their morphing power...
. The Taxxon
Taxxon
The Taxxons are a fictional sentient race in the Animorphs book series by K.A. Applegate, one of the species conceptually created for the series. They resemble giant, centipedes, with the forward one-third portion of their body held erect. They move on many rows of needle-like legs and the legs...
s also become nothlits, morphing into giant anaconda
Anaconda
An anaconda is a large, non-venomous snake found in tropical South America. Although the name actually applies to a group of snakes, it is often used to refer only to one species in particular, the common or green anaconda, Eunectes murinus, which is one of the largest snakes in the world.Anaconda...
s and "other way-too-big snakes", as Marco puts it.