James Cameron's Avatar: Pandora's Top 10 Creatures, Ranked

Audiences are eager to see Avatar: Way of Water, where they can see the greatest creatures on Pandora.

Spoiler Warning: This article contains spoilers for Avatar: The Way Of Water!

^ More than a decade after Avatar's release, audiences around the world are returning to the vast and living world of Pandora in Avatar: The Way of Water. Humans are still at war with the Na'vi people of Pandora, and the Suli family is once again at the center of the story. The film has already received rave reviews, with many agreeing that it was undeniably worth the wait and visually stunning, despite the possibly gratuitous length. However, it importantly expanded Pandora to a much deeper level, introducing viewers to a plethora of new characters and powerful creatures.

The alien creatures of Pandora are all extraordinary and beautiful on the big screen, from the smallest wood elves, the seeds of the tree of souls, to the menacing Toruk, "The Last Shadow". There are plenty of cool and powerful beasts worth noting, and possibly even more in Avatar 3, currently slated for a Winter 2024 release date and beyond. However, based on sheer size, at that point, there were none bigger than these ten.

As shown in Avatar, the Na'Vi favor two creatures for transportation, the mountain banshee for flying and the dire horse for riding. this The latter are logically named by humans for their equine appearance, but in reality, they are roughly the size of an elephant, with three pairs of legs and two pairs of eyes. In the language of the Na'Vi they are called Pa'li.

Pa'li (Direhorse)

Given their size and extra limbs, direhorses are incredibly fast and powerful, and given their abundance in the wild, it's no surprise their use is so ingrained in Ne'vi culture. However, they're easy prey, especially the Thanators, the Pandora predators who nearly gave Jake his lunch in Avatar, as several memes commemorate it.

While direhorses are their mounts, storm beasts are one of the Na'vi's best sources of food and resources. However, considering their size and sheer strength, it is not easy for the Na'vi to take down a fully grown human. Chargers are largely similar to buffalo and wildebeest and, like them, are herding animals that love to stomp.

Talioang (Sturmbeest)

Like most land creatures on Pandora, storm beasts have six legs, but their most recognizable feature is the large horns on their heads. These Pandora unicorns weigh up to 2,000 pounds, which is interestingly comparable to bulls on Earth, although there is a storm beast Bigger and bulkier.

"Avatar: Way of Water" introduces audiences to several marine animals on the planet Pandora, including Ilu, a plesiosaur believed to be a marine dinohorse. Because of their long necks, they can reach up to 7 feet in length, although they are very slender except for their winged fins. Ilus are dark in color but have a light belly, and can sometimes blend into their surroundings, depending on where they're looking from.

Ilu

Just as the banshees and dire horses abound in the jungles and mountains of Avatar, so is Illus in the sea. Also, with their agility and intelligence, they were instrumental to the Na'Vi culture by the sea.

Another major ocean mount introduced in Avatar: Way of Water is the Pterosaur, also known as Tsurak. As its name suggests, the Tsurak skims the water using its winged fins, even with the Na'Vi on board. The Tsurak leaves its tail in the water to steer it, and can reach incredible speeds of up to 50 knots, so they are very important to the Na'Vi when they need to travel far and fast or in battle.

Tsurak (Skimwing)

While Ilus are comparable to direhorses, Skimwings are like aquatic Ikrans, and they compare in size. They had a broad wingspan and a long body, including a slender jaw similar to terrestrial crocodiles. All in all, this makes Skimwings gifted hunters and difficult to tame, and given Ikrans' role in Avatar, fans can look forward to seeing a new claim sequence for Skimwings in Avatar: Way of Water.

On Pandora, there are two different kinds of banshees, and Pandora is equivalent to a dragon. Mountain banshees, or Ikrans, are more recognizable and larger than their forest-dwelling cousins. A fully grown ekran can reach a wingspan of nearly fifteen feet and a body ten feet long. As such, they are much larger and deadlier than any flying creature on Earth.

Ikran (Mountain Banshee)

For the Omaticaya, Neytiri's clan in Avatar, Ikran is claimed to be a very important coming-of-age rite. They won't let anyone associate with them, thus using their large size and strength to intimidate and kill those who attempt to do so. Interestingly, aside from their size, they are also skilled hunters and fighters, thanks to their ability to use infrared light at night.

‘Angtsik aka Hammerhead Titanothere is the largest land creature ever demonstrated on Pandora. Twice the size of an elephant, they are named for the large T-shaped protrusions on their heads. Using this, along with their natural strength and size, the 'Angstiks are like living, breathing tanks, as Aivar demonstrated when he sent a group to fight alongside the Na'vi at the end of Avatar. They run through all humans with ease, crushing a few under their massive legs.

'Anstìk (Hammerhead Titanothere)

Hammerhead Titans are also characterized by the colored feathers on their heads, which may be used for mating displays and to signal aggression. Interestingly, they also have armor plates on their backs to protect them from potential predators, but their hindquarters are completely exposed. All in all, this means there is very little to hunt them down, and the Na'Vi are not inclined to do so.

The true king and apex predator of the skies on Pandora, Toruk or Great Leonopteryx, is an important symbol of power, fear and reverence in the Na'Vi. Their name, Toruk, translates to "Last Shadow", which is apt, as it can be the last thing a person sees, thanks to its sheer size, strength and speed. it It takes someone truly special and brave to tame a human being, and so far, two well-known characters have been able to do this - Neytiri's great-great-grandfather and Jake Sully, key plot points you should remember before watching Avatar : The way of water.

Toruk (Great Leonopteryx)

With a wingspan of over eighty feet and a comparable build, few things can match Toruk in size and strength. Indeed, the only thing on Pandora that can bring down Toruk is another Toruk.

There is an aerial creature that may be close to or even larger in size than Toruk, but most fans probably don't know about it, since it doesn't appear in Avatar and Avatar: Way of Water. Lonatoya, or Medusa, is basically a giant flying jellyfish that lives in the skies of Pandora and is documented in James Cameron's Avatar: A Survival Guide to Activism. Ideally, Lonatoya could appear in Avatar 3 or later so audiences can see it in all its glory on the big screen.

'Lonatoya (Medusa)

Lonatoya is a massive creature, up to 50 meters in length, with a hydrogen-filled spherical body and long tentacles. Although they are relatively Unassuming in appearance, they can be very dangerous. Their tentacles deliver electric shocks that incapacitate and quickly encase their prey—these shocks are also powerful enough to kill a human instantly.

While Toruk may rule the skies and Thantator may rule the land, Nalutsa and Akula rule the seas as apex predators. Both are closely related species to the Banshee and Banshee, presumably comparable in size and strength. They are much larger than blue whales on Earth, but are reminiscent of giant sharks such as the prehistoric Megalodon, as they can also leap out of the water to catch flying prey. They also wear armor like the ancient dunfish.

Nalutsa/Akula

The only known difference between Nalutsa and Akula is temperament. Presumably, Akuras is naturally more ferocious, but that's not common. Naturally, both are important to the culture of Metkayina, the Na'Vi clan introduced in Avatar: Way of Water.

Avatar's use of groundbreaking technology to make things like Ikran and Toruk so detailed and beautiful is on full display in Avatar: Way of Water and Turkun. Until "Avatar 3" comes out in a larger size, there is currently no Creatures on Pandora larger than their whales, Turquins. By contrast, Tulkun can grow to around 300 feet, about three times the size of an American football field.

Tulkun

Importantly, the Turkunites are well respected within the Metkaina clan for their great intelligence, benevolent nature, and culture. A Tulkun named Payakan played a prominent role in Avatar: Way of Water after being exiled by their kind. The stark size contrast between it and Lo'ak, Jake and Neytiri's son, is astounding, and Payakan is only a child.

NEXT: 'Avatar' - 10 main actors (and where they are now)