No Cuddly Creatures on Pandora

[Tree of Souls]

Did anyone every notice that all of the creatures on Pandora are rather fearsome? There are no cute and cuddly creatures there..none!

It's a very interesting planet, but the wildlife is very odd.

[Tsyal Makto]

What about Neytiri? :ntongue:

[Elyannia]

Idk those Viperwolf pups we damn cuddly xD

[AtanZeko]

Goes with Quarich's statement to the effect that everything on this planet wants to kill you and eat your eyes for jujubees. Blood thirsty cuddleys with big teeth would just be too wierd.

[Fko Lrrtok]

Problem is most cuddly things are pretty fearsome as well,
Pandas- kill you
Polar Bears- kill you
Koala Bears- give you nasty scratches and pee on you, vicious little buggers
Grisly Bears- Kill you

[Na'viTirea]

of course not, its Pandora! Lol.
In all seriousness... could you imagine a cute cuddly little fluffy animal in the forest? It'd get eaten in 2 seconds! I like the animals there :)
as Cameron says, "its the Garden of Eden... with teeth and claws".
:)

[joeylovesgaia]

Problem is most cuddly things are pretty fearsome as well,
Pandas- kill you
Polar Bears- kill you
Koala Bears- give you nasty scratches and pee on you, vicious little buggers
Grisly Bears- Kill you

Yeah, that's where the dominate nature idea comes from. If the bears, cats, etc are just savage beasts that eat you if they can, then there's no shame killing them en masse, eh?

I know a lady who handles koalas--she's a wildlife expert. There's this picture of her holding one and the "little bugger" isn't acting aggressive, quite peaceful actually. Methinks they only scratch and urinate when they feel threatened?

[HufweMakto]

Did anyone every notice that all of the creatures on Pandora are rather fearsome? There are no cute and cuddly creatures there..none!

It's a very interesting planet, but the wildlife is very odd.

What about the prolemuris? They're pretty cute.

[Grif]

The only reason why animals on Earth are "cuddly" is because they have been conditioned to be so.

[Dreamwalker]

Problem is most cuddly things are pretty fearsome as well,
Pandas- kill you
Polar Bears- kill you
Koala Bears- give you nasty scratches and pee on you, vicious little buggers
Grisly Bears- Kill you

...what? Pandas don't kill people! lol.

[Fko Lrrtok]

Yeah, that's where the dominate nature idea comes from. If the bears, cats, etc are just savage beasts that eat you if they can, then there's no shame killing them en masse, eh?

I know a lady who handles koalas--she's a wildlife expert. There's this picture of her holding one and the "little bugger" isn't acting aggressive, quite peaceful actually. Methinks they only scratch and urinate when they feel threatened?

The tame ones are cute and docile, try picking one up in the wild who aren't used to humans.
We have heaps in our nieghbourhood, you have a good laugh when you see people trying to help them of the street before the dogs or cars get them, they hiss at you and bite and scratch the bejeebas out of you.

[Fko Lrrtok]

...what? Pandas don't kill people! lol.

Again, don't meet one in the wild who aren't used to humans.

[Dreamwalker]

Again, don't meet one in the wild who aren't used to humans.

Lol. No but really, death by panda? The numbers are like...2 a year. They're more inclined to run away than attack. But, I see what you're getting at. :)

[Fko Lrrtok]

Lol. No but really, death by panda? The numbers are like...2 a year. They're more inclined to run away than attack. But, I see what you're getting at. :)

Yes, I'm laughing my head off right now at the way you phrased that.
Imagine someone asks ."How did George die", death by Panda, very funny LOL:nlol:.

Also back on the subject of the topic, I think as we see more of Pandora in years to come, we might see a few cuddly things, but they will probably kill you as well:nlol:.
As long as there are no Ewoks introduced as well.

[Fko Lrrtok]

Yeah, that's where the dominate nature idea comes from. If the bears, cats, etc are just savage beasts that eat you if they can, then there's no shame killing them en masse, eh?

I know a lady who handles koalas--she's a wildlife expert. There's this picture of her holding one and the "little bugger" isn't acting aggressive, quite peaceful actually. Methinks they only scratch and urinate when they feel threatened?

Oh, if somehow you have misinterpretated my quote as meaning it is alright to kill these beautiful creatures, then wow you really are way of the mark concernning the intention of my post.
It was an attempt at humour, oh well if you have to explain it I guess it isn't funny:nlol:

You are spot on when you say that these animals mostly only attack if they feel threatened, not a truer word spoken.

[Tirea Nantang]

What about Neytiri? :ntongue:

This.

[Starskillz]

5436

this guy is definately cuddly. Not hairy, but still.

Also: we saw maybe .0001% of the wildlife on Pandora? I mean...we still haven't discovered a majority of animals on earth. So there's bound to be something "cuddly" out there.

[Epsillon]

5436

this guy is definately cuddly. Not hairy, but still.



This, both on the being cuddly and not hairy. Most animals on Pandora have little or no hair, and, on Earth, there aren't very many things that most people would consider "cuddly" that are bald.

Also, what's to say they aren't cuddly, just not to us. Who knows what the Na'vi definition of cuddly is(except of course, Neytiri, but that's beside the point :P)

[This one goes to eleven]

Also: we saw maybe .0001% of the wildlife on Pandora? I mean...we still haven't discovered a majority of animals on earth. So there's bound to be something "cuddly" out there.

I'm with you there, Starskillz. Personally, I was unaware of a lot of things about our own planet prior to watching Avatar, such as Bioluminiscent Bay (Isla de Vieques), so I can only imagine what other treasures await in the Avatar sequels.

Additionally, I think the fact that we have not yet encountered any "cute and cuddly" Pandora creatures is part of the whole set up of the story arc and of our journey through Pandora. I have no idea what lies in store for the sequels, but I suspect that as more of Pandora is introduced to us, the more we will learn to view the creatures, even the aggressive ones, in a different light.

As a specific example, consider the Thanator. When we first see the Thanator, we are frightened out of our wits as we watch Jake scamper away from it, barely escaping with all his limbs intact. Personally, I remember thinking to myself, "Man, I don't ever want to see that creature again!" But by the end of the movie, I was actually rooting for the Thanator when it engaged in a smackdown with Quaritch. And I don't think I was alone in that sentiment, as several viewers audibly expressed their chagrin when the Thanator was defeated. So in the course of just one movie, our viewpoint of Pandora and its inhabitants goes through significant transformation. In the beginning, we see Pandora the way humans would be expected to see it: Harsh, intimidating, hostile, unforgiving, deadly. But as we follow Jake's eyes and become more familiar with the notion of universal energy, of Eywa, and of the connectedness of the Na'vi with nature, we begin to see Pandora, and thus all of its creatures, in a softer light.

Now, you'll never see me cuddling with a Thanator (I'm a little smarter than that, if barely); but what I'm trying to say is that, just as true beauty is not skin deep, cuteness and cuddliness is also not skin deep. As Fko lrrtok alluded to, a Panda Bear may be adorable on the outside, but if it goes all kung fu on your *ss then there is absolutely nothing adorable about that. So while the creatures of Pandora may not appear approachable to us right now (at least, not the ones we've encountered), it may be more because of our human ways of seeing things, more so than their actual lack of cuteness. Maybe when we finally learn to "see" them the way the Na'vi "see" them, we won't be so quick to label all of them as uncute and uncuddly.

That being said, maybe in the sequels a little bit of furriness wouldn't hurt. =)

[This one goes to eleven]

Koala Bears- give you nasty scratches and pee on you, vicious little buggers

Fko lrrtok, you have effectively ruined my image of Koala Bears forever. Thank you very much! :ncry:

When I was a wee young lad, I had a stuffed Koala Bear that I always used to cuddle with, and I adored it; but now those memories are swiftly dissipated and corrupted with images of vileness. Such is the power of words.

:)

[Na'viTirea]

Fko lrrtok, you have effectively ruined my image of Koala Bears forever. Thank you very much! :ncry:

When I was a wee young lad, I had a stuffed Koala Bear that I always used to cuddle with, and I adored it; but now those memories are swiftly dissipated and corrupted with images of vileness. Such is the power of words.

:)

Seriously, those things are evil... don't ever try to socialise with one... Lol :)
Same with kangaroos. They will happily kick you.
So much for cute and fluffy :confused:

[Fko Lrrtok]

Fko lrrtok, you have effectively ruined my image of Koala Bears forever. Thank you very much! :ncry:

When I was a wee young lad, I had a stuffed Koala Bear that I always used to cuddle with, and I adored it; but now those memories are swiftly dissipated and corrupted with images of vileness. Such is the power of words.

:)

Sorry about that This one goes to eleven, but I'm sure if you go to a Zoo or a wildlife park over here you'll see some nice tame docile ones:nsmile:.

Here's a well circulated picture of one from the Victorian bushfires so dehydrated that he accepts water from a firefighter without fear.

http://www.avatar-forums.com/images/imported/2010/04/90.jpg

[Fko Lrrtok]

Seriously, those things are evil... don't ever try to socialise with one... Lol :)
Same with kangaroos. They will happily kick you.
So much for cute and fluffy :confused:

Too right Na'ViTirea,
I remember being at the Currumbin bird santuary when our kids were little and me and my wife laughed so hard when a bloke went up to a roo to pat him sorta hurriedly and the roo went back on his tail and kicked him so hard it dropped him and he was winded for a few minutes. I know we shouldn't laugh but it looked so funny and probably if he had approach it slower it might not have happened.

[navi31337]

What about Neytiri? :ntongue:
Yea dude! what are u talkin bout! theres at least one cuddle thing!:party:

[Colonel Quaritch]

Here's a well circulated picture of one from the Victorian bushfires so dehydrated that he accepts water from a firefighter without fear.

http://www.avatar-forums.com/images/imported/2010/04/90.jpg

That's not in Australia - if it was he would be giving the little guy some Fosters.


I presume that if there was something that was cuddly, cute and friendly then it would be pretty damn good at hiding itself from its predators. Seeing as humans are probably the least perceptive of Pandoran predators, I doubt we would see any.

[tm20]

Sorry about that This one goes to eleven, but I'm sure if you go to a Zoo or a wildlife park over here you'll see some nice tame docile ones:nsmile:.

Here's a well circulated picture of one from the Victorian bushfires so dehydrated that he accepts water from a firefighter without fear.

http://www.avatar-forums.com/images/imported/2010/04/90.jpg

I remember seeing that on the news, there was also another animal chilling in a bucket of water. Those people have recovered well. I think most of them have their homes rebuilt.

Anyway back on topic, I'm sure there is something cudly on Pandora. What do we consider to be cudly on Earth? Cats, dogs, baby animals and I'm sure theres some other stuff that I havn't named. Maybe they have a cat like creature or something like the viperwolf but not aggresive. And the baby animals can't be too bad, unless it's a baby Thanator or baby Great Leonopteryx or something :rotfl:

[MikaElle]

What about Neytiri? :ntongue:


LOL! Someone was going to say it hey! :nlol:

[Na'viTirea]

That's not in Australia - if it was he would be giving the little guy some Fosters.


I presume that if there was something that was cuddly, cute and friendly then it would be pretty damn good at hiding itself from its predators. Seeing as humans are probably the least perceptive of Pandoran predators, I doubt we would see any.

Dude, that was a picture taken during the 2009 bushfires in Victoria. Its from Australia :)
And lol at the fosters :P

[Na'viTirea]

Too right Na'ViTirea,
I remember being at the Currumbin bird santuary when our kids were little and me and my wife laughed so hard when a bloke went up to a roo to pat him sorta hurriedly and the roo went back on his tail and kicked him so hard it dropped him and he was winded for a few minutes. I know we shouldn't laugh but it looked so funny and probably if he had approach it slower it might not have happened.

Lol. :)
I went to central Australia... I was on strict instruction not to approach any Kangaroos or wallabies, touch any koalas or swim in any body of water over 1m deep for fear of crocodiles, lest I get bitten, kicked or eaten. This country is dangerous!
With the exception of the Sam the Koala :)

I likes the fauna of Pandora. It was very beautiful, and unique. I found the six-legged animals cool. Apparently almost all animals on Pandora are hexapedes, with the obvious exception of the humanoid Na'vi.

[Theorist]

What about Norm? Doesn't he count?



ok, but I seriously thought that spinning dragon critter thing was kinda cute.

[joeylovesgaia]

Oh, if somehow you have misinterpretated my quote as meaning it is alright to kill these beautiful creatures, then wow you really are way of the mark concernning the intention of my post.
It was an attempt at humour, oh well if you have to explain it I guess it isn't funny:nlol:

You are spot on when you say that these animals mostly only attack if they feel threatened, not a truer word spoken.

Um, oops? My sense of humor is..odd.

[joeylovesgaia]

Lol. :)
I went to central Australia... I was on strict instruction not to approach any Kangaroos or wallabies, touch any koalas or swim in any body of water over 1m deep for fear of crocodiles, lest I get bitten, kicked or eaten. This country is dangerous!
With the exception of the Sam the Koala :)

I likes the fauna of Pandora. It was very beautiful, and unique. I found the six-legged animals cool. Apparently almost all animals on Pandora are hexapedes, with the obvious exception of the humanoid Na'vi.

Well, it is a defense mechanism. If you saw some strange critter whose intentions you did not know, you'd be wary too, yeah?

Funny how life on Pandora has varying numbers of limbs, eyes, etc. The nantang (viperwolves) have eight legs like the mythical horse Sleipnir. Anyway you can see a clear evolutionary line from a prolemuris-like creature to the Na'vi. Two eyes, single queue, the beginnings of hair. Note that the Na'vi did not evolve from prolemuris and we didn't evolve from chimps--that's a common misunderstanding of evolution. Instead we and chimps share a common ancestor, as do Na'vi and prolemuris.

[Fko Lrrtok]

Um, oops? My sense of humor is..odd.

Actually joeylovesgaia, I was having at go at, or making fun of my own sense of humour, I aplogise if you thought it was directed at you.:nsmile:

Oh and I have to join you in having an odd sense of humour also.:nlol:

[Fko Lrrtok]

This, both on the being cuddly and not hairy. Most animals on Pandora have little or no hair, and, on Earth, there aren't very many things that most people would consider "cuddly" that are bald.

Also, what's to say they aren't cuddly, just not to us. Who knows what the Na'vi definition of cuddly is(except of course, Neytiri, but that's beside the point :P)


I think you have hit the nail on the head Epsillon, there is no hair on any animals by the look of it.
I would assume this is so biolumenece can show up on their skin, plus we haven't been shown any colder places on the planet where a lot of fur or hair is needed.

I guess when we can consider a black quicksilverish skin type cuddly, then we could see the cuteness.

[Neytirixx]

Problem is most cuddly things are pretty fearsome as well,
Pandas- kill you
Polar Bears- kill you
Koala Bears- give you nasty scratches and pee on you, vicious little buggers
Grisly Bears- Kill you

Lmao!! How About Lynx They Pretty Cuddly Only The Problem is They'll Scratch Yu Like Mad

Baby Tiger--Grow N Kill Yu
Red Pandas-Need to live in a tree with them
http://www.avatar-forums.com/images/imported/2010/04/136.jpg

[HufweMakto]

5436

this guy is definately cuddly. Not hairy, but still.

Also: we saw maybe .0001% of the wildlife on Pandora? I mean...we still haven't discovered a majority of animals on earth. So there's bound to be something "cuddly" out there.

Agreed ^

I would have to note that we haven't seen a lot of Pandoran creatures, since the slinth was mentioned by Empire Magazine as being the creature that gave Quaritch his scars. So I'm guessing there a lot of various critters we haven't seen yet, that the sequal is going to give us a good look at. I've wondered if there are Na'vi who have little animal companions, like Nok and his prolemuris pal in the DS game.

And as for more cuddly creatures that will attack you, may I offer the experience of having a bird dive-bomb you when you walk under a tree. It's like, what is that?

[Dreamwalker]

What about this little guy?
http://www.avatar-forums.com/images/imported/2010/04/138.jpg
In the scene where the children are running to greet Grace, you can see one in the background lol.

[joeylovesgaia]

About none of Cameron's creatures having fur--I think that design decision was part of adding a superficial layer of alienness to Pandora, as a carbon copy of Earth would bring instant disbelief.

Of course much of it isn't really alien, that's why it resonates with us. The exotic flora is based on rainforests and coral reefs (reefs do look dreamlike transplanted to land). Much of the fauna are Earth equivalents: wolves, horses, monkeys, extinct pterodactyls. The titanothere looked like a cross between an elephant and a rhino with a little hammerhead shark to me. About the only thing we don't have anything like is the floating mountains.

Cameron takes real world plants and animals and adds little alien touches, so that the whole thing comes off as surreal and dreamlike.