It needs to be said about humans.

[DeMouse]

Discounting sapience the only advantage humans have over other earth species is endurance. We evolved this way because instead of sprinting after our prey in the african savanna humans evolved to keep walking after it while tracking. We developed our brains for tracking, and then tool-making because of this.

The Na'vi on the other hand seem to have evolved around ambushing their prey with arrows. The result of this is that Na'vi should be far more effective sprinters, have better eyesight and awareness of their surroundsings and have more comprehensive non-verbal communication than humans.

Humans on the otherhand should have much better stamina and creativity.

Just some interesting extrapolation.

[Ximphron]

You make some good points but not everything here seems right.
We do in fact have amazing endurance, but we are also capable of trapping and ambushing without any problem at all. As you said we did evolve to track and endurance hunt however, shown by the fact that we can outrun any other animal for long distance. I'm not sure if the Na'vi ever take down animals completely without tools, by chasing them down till exhaustion and then tackling them like we often used to.

About the Na'vi's eyesight. From my own conclusions I decided that it is different, not better. For example I would suppose that because Pandora never get very dark, we could see better int the dark then they, while they would see better in dim light. I'm also not sure how well they could see certain colors we do, as the Padoran color scheme would favor seeing blue while our own eyes favor seeing red. Also, an ambush predator would have motion detecting eyesight, but not as good of long distance observation. Our eyes are built to scan the horizon, not to detect small nearby movements like the Na'vi would.
I'm also not sure if they are more aware of their surroundings. Any human who has lived a hunting lifestyle is aware of every minute detail that goes on around them. I lived with a hunting group for a while and ever since I notice things other people do not, I can teel what time of day it is by the smell, I can identify someone by their footsteps a long way away, and I notice things on the ground other people do not. We have forgotten largely about how to be aware of our surroundings but we are certainly capable.
In non-verbal communication, also not sure. Also when I lived "primitively" for a while, I could understand something as simple as eye contact to mean "theres a rabbit over there, why don't you kill it for the soup?"

Sprinters i'll agree with. They're have larger strides (but they might have more drag due to this large size as well).
Neither would walk/run particularly well in the others environment so the comparison doesn't really work. Humans would find it impossible to bound around over massive branches or run on Pandora soil. Likewise, Na'vi would find it impossible to run in the far denser, darker jungles of earth that many humans easily go through. The Na'vi way of walking (digging their toes into the ground for extra push) would also end up terribly here by not working at all or resulting in broken toes.

On a maybe-related note, i've been trying to study Na'vi archery, as I am a archer myself. They seem to favor highly decorative longbows, contrary to us, who have generally favored very compact practical bows for hunting.
I find this to mirror Na'vi and Human physiology as well. Na'vi are far more gracile and elongated. We look neanderthal-like by comparison, short, compact, and robust.

[DeMouse]

Its nice to see somone with a good perspective on the sort of differences I have been thinking about.

What about muscle density? What difference woudl their size make compared to the lower gravity?

They seem to be very acrobatic so I would think their muscles would be light and favour rapid prcise movements in order to help with agility.

Are their bones supposed to be more dense or just have a special compound?

[HufweMakto]

Technically speaking, with the Na'vi, we are talking about a species that is almost perfectly adapted to the landscape it inhabits. Na'vis have bodies and limbs developed to navigate forests, namely the canopy and the floor covered in roots and mosses. While humans probably adapted to life on a flat plain, namely savannah, the Na'vi are much better adapted to being hunters and gatherers in an environment that would be downright hard to navigate in. Add to this is their big toe that's an added grip on the uneven ground below them, whether it is roots or branches. Humans upon the other hand must seem downright clumsy in the way they have to travel through the forest.

It should also be noted that the Pandorapedia also mentions that Na'vi in other binomes (such as swamps, oceans, and deserts) are adapted to living in their environs pretty well to (it actually describes the adaptions and differences to that of different dog breeds). I would guess that desert dwelling Na'vi have specific adaptations to coping with heat and dryness, and swamp dwelling Na'vis have adaptations to resist diseases from insects, fungal skin infections, and maybe ways of navigating through waters. These are just my speculations.

[_Omaticaya_]

Humans upon the other hand must seem downright clumsy in the way they have to travel through the forest.

-_-...I really don't understand your speculations sorry... I believe Humans can be like Na'vi. Just see how the natives inhabit the rainforest on our Earth too.
2nd, I think it's hilarious and very Odd, that you, being such a Firm evolutionist whom you've proven to be, think humans are clumsy in the forest? Hahahahah, fail? seriously... OMG I thought we we're all monkeys! Isn't that what you love to say? I was just getting a banana now in fact what a coincidence!

...

**** this bull****... Instead of speculating on what we could be or what we could not be, people should stop reading books and get the hell off the couch and experience some life and nature, to find out YOURSELF. what you are capable and not capable of doing.

3rd, this thread sucks ***.

[HufweMakto]

-_-...I really don't understand your speculations sorry... I believe Humans can be like Na'vi. Just see how the natives inhabit the rainforest on our Earth too.
2nd, I think it's hilarious and very Odd, that you, being such a Firm evolutionist whom you've proven to be, think humans are clumsy in the forest? Hahahahah, fail? seriously... OMG I thought we we're all monkeys! Isn't that what you love to say? I was just getting a banana now in fact what a coincidence!

...

**** this bull****... Instead of speculating on what we could be or what we could not be, people should stop reading books and get the hell off the couch and experience some life and nature, to find out YOURSELF. what you are capable and not capable of doing.

3rd, this thread sucks ***.

I don't get why you have to get so defensive when I make an opinion about something. Are you just unhappy or frustrated that someone who likes the Na'vi also may hav opinions differing from yours, or are you just here to troll me if I happen to have an opinion or even post something in this thread. I never did mean to offend or disparage, I'm just stating my opinion and my speculations about what might happen in the Avatar series. If you don't like it then, DON'T POST.

Answer me this question then: Why does Neytiri call Jake Sully a "baby" then? It implies that he's downright clumsy and stupid from the get-go, but she also respects him. I never did demean Na'vis or humanity, I'm just basing the facts here. The Na'vi do see humans as being clumsy, but it's the very fact that they can also see through this mask, like when Neytiri held Jake in her hands and says "I see you", that was not just epic because she loves him and just saved his life, it's also because she can see into his real self. She loves him for who he is, a brave and noble soul.

And also, we're descended from great apes, such as chimpanzees, and from what I know chimpanzees are more at home on the forest floor than in the treetops, though they are known in climb up trees. Gorillas don't neccesarily climb trees either. Monkeys are another evolutionary branch, but we're not directly related to them. And as for a fact, there are monkey species that don't neccesarily take to trees either, and mainly forage on the ground.

[DeMouse]

I think the biggest evolutionary difference is that we are naturally endurance hunters and trackers, while the na'vi are ambush predators.

Humans can be quite apt moving along the jungle floor. Humans who moved back to the forests simply adapted their tracking methods to the new environment and use pretty much the same hunting straegy as they did on the plains. Kepp following your prey till it collapses.

[Ximphron]

"What about muscle density? What difference woudl their size make compared to the lower gravity?"
-- Lower gravity would make for less dense muscles probably. This may be countered by the thicker atmosphere though as they need to push through thicker air. (But pandora apparently makes humans weaker so less strength must be needed to move around). Lower gravity means larger body size. So would a thicker atmosphere because it could support larger bodies without them crushing themselves.

"They seem to be very acrobatic so I would think their muscles would be light and favour rapid prcise movements in order to help with agility."
-- That would make sense, just as human muscles are built alternatively for energy efficiency, endurance and durability, while we are terrible at quick movement.

"Are their bones supposed to be more dense or just have a special compound?"
-- The film explanation is "naturally occurring carbon fiber". Lighter, less dense bones for Na'vi would be beneficial for quick sprints or acrobatics, so I would assume their bones are lighter. Long distance walking or running humans would benefit from heavier, more robust bones on the other hand.

"Humans upon the other hand must seem downright clumsy in the way they have to travel through the forest."
-- Humans who live in the forest can run through it faster than they can on open ground. It all depends on where and how you learn to walk.

"I think the biggest evolutionary difference is that we are naturally endurance hunters and trackers, while the na'vi are ambush predators."
-- This seems very likely based on speculation, but theres no confirmation. I think Na'vi are likely less predatory than humans, but theres no proof of that either. Its just that humans can take down animals without weapons, but I don't see how Na'vi could do that as they don't seem dangerous enough to ambush effectively without weapons. This could be due to eywaregulation though.

And Omaticaya, I normally don't have a problem with you or anyone. I'm extremely tolerant of everyone. In many of your posts you're very kind. But your comment here seems like downright trolling. You might have been in a bad mood when you posted that, but please respect other people's right to converse about topics that do not interest you.

[Imperius Dictatio]

He's always been like this.

[_Omaticaya_]

are you just here to troll me

No, you do that better than me.

If you don't like it then, DON'T POST

I thought it was the whole point of a forum? Don't you reply to something I write if you don't like it? yeah, you do, and everyone does, what's the problem?

P.S. Imperius Dictatio, why don't you go suck some dick? Ask your mom she's got good contacts, trust me