Gull Crow (Corvus larius)

Corvids are among the most adaptable and intelligent of all birds, living on nearly every continent and island outside of Antarctica, and these feats of adaptability and cleverness are no more represented by members of the genus Corvus, crows and ravens. These magnificent birds are characterized by their usually glossy, black, iridescent feathers that shimmer in the sunlight as their owners are foraging for anything that can fit in their bills, animal and plant alike. Multiple corvids, mostly ones from Indonesia and Australia, make their homes on Skull Island, but there's one endemic species of crow that lives an interesting lifestyle, the Gull Crow (Corvus larius).

Gull Crows often live and feed near water, hence their name, and are found throughout the coastlines of Skull Island, but the populations in the northern mangroves are by far the most interesting. Descended from an Indian species of crow, these birds have not changed all that much morphology-wise from their ancestors, excluding the longer beak used to catch fish and their relatively larger size. Behavior-wise, the crows of the mangrove wetlands do something very unique from other birds, they get intoxicated.

A small species of pufferfish, the Opiate Puffer (see more below) has a liver that is filled with a deadly cocktail of hallucinogenic toxins. Similar to dolphins, the crows take advantage of this and get high off of the toxin. This causes the birds to start behaving oddly, from lashing out at predators, to wobbling around on the beach aimlessly when they walk. However, if too much is ingested, the crows can surely die.

Now even though gulls often migrate to Skull Island's coast, these crows still fill a similar niche to them, mainly when they're absent. These corvids, like others of their genus, are omnivores which will feed on anything they can find, from fruits and nuts in the trees, to fish and other small aquatic prey, to the washed up carcasses of marine animals. However, despite being omnivores, seafood seems to be a favorite of this species' diet, including young Brackish Octopus.

In Skull Island folklore, the Gull Crow is seen as a smart, yet reckless figure because of their drug habits. These birds are easy to keep in captivity and some people even keep them as pets. In fact, many crows raised in captivity often live longer than wild individuals because of the lack of exposure to hallucinogenic pufferfish.

Opiate Puffer (Estuarothron hallucinogenus)

Pufferfish, also known as blowfish and sugar toads, are some of the ocean's most feared residents, not so much for any kind of large size, sharp teeth, or phenomenal strength, as they really don't have any of those traits, but rather for the lethal toxins that coarse through their skin and internal organs. In fact, humans have found many practical uses for this fish, from being used as a popular food source in Japan, known as fugu, to their toxic body parts being used by Haitian Vodou priests as an ingredient to create "zombies". Now not all pufferfish are restricted to saltwater, some estuary-living species exist, and one species that is native to Skull Island's mangrove swamps is the Opiate Puffer (Estuarothron hallucinogenus).

The Opiate Puffer is one of the smallest species of pufferfish in the world, but it is also one of the deadliest. This fish's bright, yellow and black colored body is a warning to many hungry predators to stay away, however to one mangrove hunter these colors are seen as an invitation rather than a warning. This predator in question is the Gull Crow (see above) which actively seeks out these fish to experience the drug-like effects of ingesting a small amount of toxin.

The role of the fish in Skull Island mythology is that of a meek yet brave hero that stands up to and defeats characters (a role the Gull Crow is often cast in). Like the Brackish Octopus, captive specimens are rare because of their toxicity however the Vienna Zoo has one of the most successful Opiate Puffer breeding programs in the world.

Author's Note: The relationship between the Opiate Puffer and the Gull Crow are based on the hallucinogenic pufferfish and Psychovultures (a black, aggressive, bat-like monster) respectively from the 2017 film Kong Skull Island.