Pandoran biosphere: Difference between revisions

The '''Pandoran biosphere''' is a fictional habitat introduced in [[James Cameron]]'s 2009 [[science fiction film]] ''[[Avatar (2009 film)|Avatar]]''. The ecology of the [[Habitable exomoon|lush exomoon]] Pandora, which teems with a [[biodiversity]] of [[bioluminescent]] species ranging from [[hexapoda]]l animals to other types of exotic [[fauna]] and [[flora]], forms a vast [[neural network]] spanning the entire lunar surface into which the Na'vi and other creatures can connect. The strength of this [[collective consciousness]] is illustrated when the human invaders are defeated in battle by the Pandoran ecology, after the Na'vi are nearly defeated. Cameron utilized a team of expert advisors to make the various examples of fauna and flora as scientifically feasible as possible.<ref name = LATimes/>

In ''Avatar'', the Na'vi are an [[indigenous species]] that live on Pandora. They are [[humanoid]] in appearance and are {{convert|98|to|109|ft|m}} tall, having pairs of eyes, ears, arms, legs and feet like humans, as well as a nose, a mouth, and expressions recognizable to humans. The Na'vi differ from humans in having blue striped skin, pointed and mobile ears, large eyes, catlike noses and tails, and hands each with three fingers and a thumb (hybrid avatars, on the other hand, retain the five-fingered hands of their human DNA), making them look like humanoid [[lemur]]s, (or "blue [[monkey]]s", according to Colonel [[Miles Quaritch]]); nevertheless, it is speculated that the Na'vi had evolved from [[Pandoran biosphere#Prolemuris|Prolemuris]], aanother blue lemur-like [[primate]]creature native to Pandora, but hexapodal, like the rest of the [[Pandoran biosphere#Fauna|Fauna of Pandora]]. While taller than humans, they have narrower proportions in body frame. Their bones are reinforced with naturally occurring carbon fiber. The Na'vi also have a distinctive tendril feature protruding from the back of their heads, surrounded by hair (resembling a long plait or [[queue (hairstyle)|queue]]), feeding directly into the brain. This organ allows them to connect with other organisms, transferring electrochemical signals such as thoughts and memories. In the original script, Cameron refers to these as "Jubilees", although the word is not used in the film and may be changed by the time the novel is published. The Na'vi were initially conceived to be more alien in appearance. Cameron recalled when one of the main characters, Neytiri, was originally drawn, she had gills and other protuberances. In addition to feline features,<ref name="ew091218">{{cite magazine|title=James Cameron Talks ''Avatar'': Brave Blue World |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |first=Josh |last=Rottenberg |issue=1081 |pages=48–51 |date=December 18, 2009}}</ref> the species were redesigned to seem more human so audiences could better relate to them.

According to Cameron, the appearance of the Na'vi character Neytiri had some specific inspirations and requirements: she was inspired by [[Raquel Welch]]'s character in ''[[Fantastic Voyage]]'' and by [[Vampirella]], noting in the latter's case, "the fact [Vampirella] didn't exist didn't bother me because we have these quintessential female images in our mind, and in the case of the male mind, they're grossly distorted. When you see something that reflects your [[Id, ego, and super-ego|id]], it works for you.... Right from the beginning I said, 'She's got to have tits,' even though that makes no sense because her race, the Na'vi, aren't [[placental mammal]]s. I designed her costumes based on a ''taparrabo'', a [[loincloth]] worn by [[Maya peoples|Mayan Indians]]."<ref name="Playboy">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.playboy.com/articles/james-cameron-interview/index.html?page=2 | title=James Cameron: Playboy Interview | magazine=[[Playboy]] | date=December 2009 | access-date=February 13, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091116002718/http://www.playboy.com/articles/james-cameron-interview/index.html?page=2 | archive-date=November 16, 2009 | url-status=dead | df=mdy-all }}</ref> This is somewhat of a [[non sequitur (fallacy)|non-sequitur]] because both [[marsupials]] ([[kangaroos]], etc.) and [[monotremes]] ([[platypuses]], etc.) are non-placental and yet both [[lactation|lactate]]. This objective of making the Na'vi as humanlike as possible can also be seen as an explanation as to why they are quadrupedal despite having evolved from common ancestors of the hexapodal lemurs (Prolemuris) seen in the film.

Cameron has described ''Avatar'' as more "[[science fantasy]]" than true science fiction and has said that he would explain in the novel for the film why in the [[fictional universe of Avatar|fictional universe]] the Na'vi look like humans.<ref name="ap091221">{{cite news |url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jXOYzLx-6QscSpCcZrBlfjmJ5mGAD9CNRKEG0 |title='Avatar' creator Cameron shares alien shop talk |work=Associated Press via Google News |first=David |last=Germain |date=December 21, 2009 |access-date=December 27, 2009 |archive-date=December 24, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091224084921/http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jXOYzLx-6QscSpCcZrBlfjmJ5mGAD9CNRKEG0 |url-status=livedead }}</ref>

The Na'vi way of life revolves around their religion, and the Home Tree. The Na'vi sleep in hammocks in large groups for comfort and as a warning system. {{citation needed|date=September 2013}}

Human visitors see the Na'vi as possessing a religion, whose chief and possibly sole deity is a benevolent goddess known as Eywa. The Na'vi are able to physically connect to Eywa when they use their braids to connect to the Tree of Souls and other similar flora which function as the global brain's interfaces. Eywa is said to have a connection to all things Pandoran.<ref>{{citationCite web |last=Mckeown |first=Matt needed|date=September2023-12-27 2013|title=Avatar: What Is Eywa? |url=https://www.thegamer.com/avatar-eywa-network-explained/ |access-date=2024-07-21 |website=TheGamer |language=en}}</ref>

The '''great leonopteryx''' (''Toruk'' in Na'vi, meaning ''last shadow) is'' the [[Apex predator|apex airborne predator]] native to Pandora. It is scientifically known as ''Leonopteryx rex'', meaning "king lion-wing".<ref>{{cite book |last1=Wilhelm |first1=Maria |author-link1=Maria Wilhelm |last2=Mathison |first2=Dirk |author-link2=Dirk Mathison |date=2009 |title=Avatar: An Activist Survival Guide: A Confidential Report on the Biological and Social History of Pandora}}</ref> The fierce beauty and nobility of the leonopteryx gave the species a place central to Na'vi lore and culture.{{citation needed|date=September 2013}} The leonopteryx is scarlet with black stripes and a midnight blue crest on top of the head and on the lower jaw. It is celebrated in dance and song; elaborate totems symbolize both the fear and respect accorded to the creature. The leonopteryx is considered crucial to the Na'vi sense of destiny and interconnectedness. Prior to the events of the film, it had only been tamed five times, and Neytiri tells Jake that the riders (''Toruk Makto'') brought peace among the Pandoran tribes. This makes Jake the sixth Toruk Makto. He manages to capture one by jumping on it from above from his banshee but releases it after the battle with the humans has ended. The great leonopteryx and the banshee were designed with bright colors. Page based the colors on Earth's birds, [[poison dart frog]]s, and [[monarch butterflies]], though he altered the patterns so that their inspirations would not be so conspicuous to moviegoers.<ref name="color">{{cite news | last=Anders | first=Charlie Jane | url=https://gizmodo.com/those-crazy-color-schemes-are-from-the-ocean-floor-an-5423086 | title=Those crazy color schemes are from the ocean floor – and Art Nouveau | work=[[Gizmodo]] | date=December 10, 2009 | access-date=December 3, 2021 | archive-date=December 4, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211204041814/https://gizmodo.com/those-crazy-color-schemes-are-from-the-ocean-floor-an-5423086 | url-status=live }}</ref> The skull and crest shapes appearare toreminiscent beof derivedsome fromSouth American fossil [[pterosaur]]s, fromsuch theas genus''[[Torukjara]]''—which was named after this creature—and [[Tapejara (pterosaur)|''Tapejara'']].<ref name="Torukjara">{{Cite journal |last1=Pêgas |first1=Rodrigo V. |date=2024-06-10 |title=A taxonomic note on the tapejarid pterosaurs from the Pterosaur Graveyard site (Caiuá Group, ?Early Cretaceous of Southern Brazil): evidence for the presence of two species |journal=[[Historical Biology]] |language=en |pages=1–22 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/381306918 |doi=10.1080/08912963.2024.2355664 |issn=0891-2963}}</ref>

The '''thanator''' (''Palulukan'' in Na'vi) is a large hexapodal land predator that is believed, by the RDA, to be the apex land predator. It is scientifically known as ''Bestiapanthera ferox''.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.pandorapedia.com/doku.php/thanator | title=Thanator | work=Pandorapedia | publisher=[[20th Century Fox]] | access-date=December 27, 2009 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091217023043/http://www.pandorapedia.com/doku.php/thanator | archive-date=December 17, 2009 }}</ref> Cameron personally designed the creature.<ref name="pictures">{{cite news | last=Maher | first=Kevin | url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article6947527.ece | title=Avatar: pictures of James Cameron's fantastic new world | work=[[The Times]] | date=December 8, 2009 | access-date=December 27, 2009 | archive-date=February 23, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240223193011/https://www.the-tls.co.uk/ | url-status=livedead }}</ref> The thanator is first seen when Jake wanders off into the jungle and touches multiple helicoradian leaves, at which they retract to reveal a family of hammerhead titanotheres behind. The thanator frightens the titanotheres and pursues Jake. Jake later escapes the thanator by jumping off a cliff into pool below. It later appears during the climax where it assists Neytiri and later battles Quaritch's AMP Suit Beyond Glory, but is killed by the AMP suit's knife. The thanator is black with white fleshy skin under each hand. Its appearance is similar to a [[black panther|panther]]; Cameron describes the thanator as "the panther from hell". The thanator has ten sensory quills connected to six pads at the rear of the skull that flare up before it attacks the prey. The director explained how the thanator is the most fearsome creature on Pandora, "The thanator could eat a [[Tyrannosaurus|T-Rex]] and have the [[Alien (creature in Alien franchise)|Alien]] for dessert."<ref name="iesb">{{cite web | url=http://www.iesb.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7872:a-look-into-the-making-of-pandora-for-avatar&catid=41:news&Itemid=71 | title=A Look into the Making of Pandora for AVATAR | work=IESB.net | publisher=S&S Media Services | date=December 6, 2009 | access-date=December 27, 2009 | archive-date=July 23, 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110723153148/http://www.iesb.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7872:a-look-into-the-making-of-pandora-for-avatar&catid=41:news&Itemid=71 | url-status=live }}</ref>

*{{cite book | last1=Izzo | firstfirst1=Joshua | title=The World of Avatar: A Visual Exploration | date=2022 | publisher=DK | isbn=978-0241400753 }}