Do you remember Neytiri teaching Jake the ways of the blue world, Pandora in the 2009 movie ‘Avatar’? Along with Jake, we all were in awe of the exotic flora and fauna of James Cameron‘s Pandora. Viewers took a three-hour breathtaking ride as they saw the CGI unveil amazing scientific fantasies on screen.
As fans eagerly wait for the next film after ‘Avatar: The Way of Water,’ it is certain that Cameron will introduce new wildlife in the various spheres of Pandora which will be equally sensational. Let’s take a view of the majestic creatures from Cameron’s ‘Avatar‘ universe.
Related: How Did James Cameron Get The Idea For ‘Avatar’?
Avatar: Top 10 Creatures Of Pandora
1. Tourk
Tourk also known as the Great Leonopteryx is an apex air-born predator of the ‘Avatar‘ universe. The four-winged reptile is created by Cameron’s concept designers as a scarlet orange body with black stripes and a midnight blue crest on top of the head and lower jaw. The majestic beauty of the creature comes with such a deadly rage that it has been tamed only five times.
Neytiri tells Jake of its lore celebrated by the Na’vi people in its songs and prayers. It is said that the rider of the Great Leonopteryx, “Tourk Makto,” becomes a great leader and brings peace to the people of Pandora.
2. Ikran
Ikran or the Mountain Banshee as Dr. Grace calls them is a very similar reptile to the Tourk. However, it is structurally inferior to the Great Leonopteryx. In Pandora, all animal life including the Na’vi has a carbon fiber strand protruding from their bodies that have fleshy nerve endings. Na’vi can connect the neural whip with the others. This allows them to send electromagnetic impulses to the connected animal and take over their motor movements.
However, unlike any other animal Ikran bonds with its rider for life and this occasion is a coveted rite of passage for the Na’vi. In 2009’s ‘Avatar‘, we see Neytiri coach Jake that the Banshee destined for them will try to kill them. But once they are bonded, the relationship develops into a beautiful friendship. This special bond is what makes this creature the most loved in the Avatar universe.
3. Atokirina
These palm-sized jellyfish-like creatures are known as the “seed” of their sacred tree, Eywa. This airborne and bioluminescent creature is considered a very pure spirit. In a comical scene, we see Neytiri slap Jake for swatting away a seed.
At a Na’vi funeral, a seed is planted along with the dead so that their consciousness unites with Eywa. It is an auspicious occasion when a seed approaches a Na’vi. In ‘Avatar‘ we see in a scene Jake being covered by seeds from the head to the torso. He was meant to be one of the Pandora.
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4. Pa’il
During one of his lessons, we see Jake getting stomped in mud by a herd of hexapod creatures called Pa’il. Also known as Direhorses these animals share a likeness with the traditional horses of our world, except they have six legs. It uses its chameleon-long tongue to drink sap from pitcher plants. They are domesticated by Na’vi for transportation and hunting.
They have dull grey skin striped with blue and the Na’vi can connect to them similarly as they do with the Mountain Banshee. However, they don’t create an exclusive bond with the creature as they do with the banshee.
5. Palulukan
This mammal, aka Thanator, is considered to be the apex land predator like the lion. This creature was personally designed by the director Cameron. In Pandora, it is a deadly hexapod and is described by Cameron as a “panther from hell”. It is the most feared creature in Pandora. It is black and has white fleshy skin beneath its paws.
In the movie we see Jake being pursued by a Thanator after he closes many touch-sensitive leaves. In the climax, we see the creature battle fiercely with Quaritch’s AMP suit and almost maul the soldier before being stabbed by the gigantic knife of the suit.
6. Angtsik
This peaceful herbivore is a massive, slow creature. This hexapod is gray in color and bears the resemblance to a rhinoceros as its hide is almost impenetrable. Also called Hammerhead titanathere it has a bony projection on its head similar to the hammerhead shark. It carries a purple-blue fan over its projection that flares up as a threat signal.
The creatures’ bulky mass and bony projection easily push away tall vegetation to make their way. In the climax war against the humans, these animals were used to make a trail in the forest.
7. Nantang
This is a nocturnal carnivore and it’s named by the director- Viperwolf. This predator is also hexapod and is bioluminescent to identify its kind. It is hairless and has shiny skin that looks like armor and scary leathery arms. They have green eyes and they sound like Earth’s hyenas.
Cameron described them as “vicious” in combat but they are tender to their offspring. During the daytime, they care for their babies. A Look Into Making Of Pandora says, “They have opposable thumbs allowing them to climb trees as well as stalk from the ground, thereby are able to create a three-dimensional hunting field.“
8. Austrapede
These creatures are a cross between an ostrich, a pink flamingo, and the dinosaur, Parasaurolophus. They have long thin legs and a yellow-orange body with faint purple striping. Their wings are shrunken to vestigial wings like the penguins’ by evolution. It has a long flat beak and a long slim tail brushing the ground.
These flightless birds are frigid creatures that flap their wings when frightened. They are small by the Pandoran standards and pose little threat. They debut their appearance in the musical, Tourk- The First Flight.
9. Turtapede
This enormous blob of mass also first appeared in the musical Tourk- The First Flight. It has a beak similar to the platypus, the bulky mass of a turtle, and the pentagon shape of a starfish. With its large dorsal fin and long tail, it has rapid movements underwater. When it comes out of the water, shimmering colors bespangle under its translucent shell.
10. Fan Lizard
Though small, this creature adds significantly to the awe-inspiring beauty of Pandora. It has a two-inch long body and a massive long fan attached above its head that is bioluminescent. When in the presence of movement or threat, it opens its fan into a fiery red tornado.
We see Jake wonderstruck by the swirling creature at night when learning how to live like a Na’vi.
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