Sker Buffalo
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The Sker Buffalo is a giant water buffalo superspecies that appears in the 2017 Legendary Pictures film Kong: Skull Island. A Sker Buffalo carcass also briefly appears in episode 7 of the 2023 Netflix animated series Skull Island, "You're Not a King, You're Just a Stupid Animal."
Name
The 'Sker' part of Sker Buffalo's name may have been chosen as a homophone of "scare." Their cryptozoological classification is Skerry Bubalis, the first half of which bears resemblance to the word "scary."
Sker Buffalo's name is transliterated into Japanese as Sukeru Baffarō (スケル・バッファロー),[3] while it is called Gūjiāo Niúmó (孤礁牛魔, lit. "Isolated Rock Cow-Demon") in Chinese.[5]
Design
The Sker Buffalo superficially resembles an abnormally large water buffalo, but has some distinct traits. It possesses incredibly large horns, which appear to fork into at least three branches. The Sker Buffalo has what appears to be algae covering a large portion of its body, most likely due to its habit of spending long amounts of time underwater. Its back is shaped like coral so as to allow it to blend in perfectly with its surroundings while underwater.[2]
Behavior
Sker Buffalo are herbivores.[6] Unlike many species on Skull Island, they will not attack humans unless provoked.[6] Monarch has returned the favor by taking special care to prevent their existence from becoming public knowledge, out of concern that big-game hunters would view them as prizes.[6] Kong appears to get along well with these creatures, as he rescued one that was pinned underneath a fallen helicopter in 1973, and appeared visibly enraged upon seeing one killed by a Skullcrawler soon after. He rescued another Sker Buffalo in 2021, lifting a fallen tree off it, and regarded it sadly after it was killed during his battle with a horde of Psychovultures.
Origins
According to the Monarch superspecies report about the Sker Buffalo, it shares common ancestry with the Asian water buffalo. The Sker Buffalo has evolved many unusual traits, including the ability to remain submerged completely underwater for several days. This is a consequence of its florafaunal biology: the roots of the plants on its back are connected to its circulatory system, allowing them to supply it with oxygen.[6] In turn, two chambers of its heart can pump chlorophyll into the foliage growing from its back.[1]
History
- Kong: Skull Island (2017)
- Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) [stock footage]
- Skull Island (TV 2023) [episode 7]
Monsterverse
Kong: Skull Island
While wandering through the wilderness of Skull Island, some of the survivors of the Monarch expedition to the island witnessed a Sker Buffalo emerging from a lake. The creature approached the group, but James Conrad insisted they remain calm and not open fire on the animal. The Sker Buffalo stared at the humans for a few moments before turning around and walking away. Meanwhile, Kong came upon the corpse of a Sker Buffalo, which had just recently been killed by a Skullcrawler, which Kong promptly fought and killed along with another Skullcrawler that attacked him from behind.
After hearing a strange noise, Mason Weaver wandered out of the Iwi village and found a Sker Buffalo pinned underneath a fallen helicopter. She tried to free the Buffalo from the wreckage, but could not lift the wreckage. Suddenly, the entire helicopter was pulled off the Buffalo, and Weaver stared up in shock to see Kong had rescued the smaller creature.
Skull Island
"You're Not a King, You're Just a Stupid Animal"
The Hawk Monster alerted Kong and a Skull Islander he had befriended to a slain Sker Buffalo. They soon tracked down the culprits: a trio of Killer Chameleons.
Abilities
Amphibiousness
The Sker Buffalo is an amphibious creature, and can remain completely submerged underwater for several days at a time thanks to oxygen provided to its circulatory system from the plants on its back.[6]
Camouflage
The coral-shaped surface of the Sker Buffalo's back allows it to blend in seamlessly with its surroundings.[2]
Physical abilities
When enraged, a Sker Buffalo is capable of destroying most ground vehicles or buildings effortlessly.[6] Its preferred methods of attack are ramming and trampling.[6]
Video games
- Evony: The King's Return (2016; added in 2022) - Android and iOS
Tabletop games
Books
Comics
- Kingdom Kong (2021)
- Godzilla x Kong: The Hunted (2024) [taxidermy; carcass]
Kingdom Kong
With Houston Brooks watching from a helicopter, Kong spotted a Sker Buffalo trapped under a fallen tree and lifted the tree off of it. A swarm of Psychovultures then descended upon Kong. He successfully repelled them, but the Sker Buffalo was killed in the battle, and he regarded it sadly.
Godzilla x Kong: The Hunted
A taxidermied Sker Buffalo was present in Raymond Martin's trophy room. He later killed a Sker Buffalo in Hollow Earth using the Titan Hunter.
Gallery
- Main article: Sker Buffalo/Gallery.
Roar
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In other languages
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Japanese
Mandarin Chinese
Trivia
- The trade paperback version of Skull Island: The Birth of Kong includes a Sker Buffalo profile that is absent from the individual issues. While nearly identical to the profile used in the viral marketing for Kong: Skull Island, this version has a note added by Monarch researchers which point out that the creatures' horns are as wide as the wingspan of a Grumman OV-1 Mohawk, making them a potentially desirable trophy for poachers.
Notes
References
This is a list of references for Sker Buffalo. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]
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Bibliography
- Trent, Sigfried; Bramnik, Michael; Flanagan, Ivis (2023). Kong: Skull Island Cinematic Adventure. Evil Genius Games. ISBN 979-8-9865552-8-7.
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