Na'vi Biology - a substantive post
Jan. 11th, 2010 09:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jagashIt has been far too long since my last post of substance beyond matters of my business. I mean to rectify this with some commentaries about James Cameron's Avatar (3d) which I watched last night. This is chiefly coming from the point of view of an ecologist with some foundation in evolutionary ecology. The ecology and physiology observed in the movie appear to be quite intriguing and they are worth some indepth analysis. Some additional details can be found at http://james-camerons-avatar.wikia.com/wiki where I found some of the source data (mostly names) on the creatures.
Environmental Conditions
Before any discussion of physiology can be broached, it is worthwhile to discuss the environment within which the organisms are found. The radiation levels and gravity are within human tolerances and are near earth levels, as the humans are able to put their skin in contact with the air in sunlight without burns, freezing or corrosion from the atmosphere. The temperature appears to be greater then room temperature according to the heat shimmer on atmospheric contact and the gas mixture seems to be compatible with human levels. My assumption from the apparent water and the fact that it doesn't automatically kill humans on inhalation is that it is low in oxygen or potentially significantly higher in carbon dioxide. High CO2 levels would explain the altered respiratory systems and large amounts of vegetation. Sources in the Avatar wiki state it is high amounts of "ammonia, methane and chlorine." which would at least explain it's inhospitably to humans, though it would not explain the respiratory modifications.
There additionally seems to be some antigravity produced in unusual conditions, not by the unobtanium but but some additional mineral. This is suggested as there was no mining on the "Hallelujah Mountains" which would logically contain huge amounts of the antigrav substance. This has presumably led to the large amounts of aerial terrain and large cliff faces. The lower gravity of Pandora can partially explain this and should also be noted in it's own right.
Significant Traits
One of the frequently noted traits that differs is the presence of six legs, a trait missing in the Na'vi, and this absence appears to mark the Na'vi as being different from rest of the animal life. The middle limbs appear to be either bifurcations of front limbs or as secondary limbs coming from a similar joint. The absence of a third pair of limbs could easily be explained as a modification of a HOX gene which one might assume exists, should a Na'vi-human hybrid be possible. For the short form acronym, I will mark these as 6 as opposed to the 4 found on Terran style organisms.
Other interesting traits seem to be the altered respiratory systems, with respiratory orifices in the upper chest near to the collarbone in a Terran equivalent. This might indicate that there is a need to have less filtering or that the ambient air temperature is ideal for physiological functions. Might be indicative of poikilothermic organisms vs the homeothermic ones. Perhaps These are only sometimes present, and in cases where this altered anatomy is present I will mark these as C (Chest) as opposed to the Terran H (Head) breathers.
The third adaptation is the Queue, the nervous connection from head which permits for linkages between organisms. Such a direct linkage is an extremely difficult adaptation, as any modification to any of the organisms would have led to the loss of this functioning. This appears to allow for some limited communication between organisms and through the neural network of Pandora, though only the Na'vi appear to use it for domestication/partnerships in an obvious fashion in the film. Most if not all of the organisms on Pandora have such a Queue (Q), but those for whom it is absent (A) exist according to the film.
The fourth adaptation appears to be nearly ubiquitous and that is photo-luminescence. Everything appears to glow to some extent, though this is mostly found in vegetative life. One posited explanation for this is as a defense mechanisms for vegetation; attracting top predators in the case of herbivores. This might have also been modified for the use of heavily social and gregarious organisms such as the Prolemuris and Na'vi.
Species List
Humans: 4HA organisms, with four limbs, breathing through the head and missing a Queue. Non-native.
Na'vi: 4HQ organisms, the purportedly native sentient tool workers. Apparently several behaviour norms (kissing and holding) are held in common with humans with no justification. Likewise, clothing covers apparently normal sized mammary glands, despite the fact that the normally small breasts appear not to be secondary sexual characteristics in females.
Prolemuris: 6HA?. These monkey analogues are social arboreal herbivores, non aggressive in nature and encountered early on by the protagonists. The Queue was not evident, though it would be particularly unusual as these appear to share evolutionary ancestry with the Na'vi.
Hammerhead Titanothere:6CQ. Large herbivores who appear to use their Queues to communicate with some of the flowers. When the protagonist triggered the flowers, he alerted the territorial animal. Perhaps a detection system to protect from a Thanator attack?
Thanator: 6CQ. These are the top terrestrial predator, one of whom was bonded to a Na'vi via the Queue in the movie. These clearly share ancestry with the Viperwolves, though they have more in common with Terran Panthers.. It is possible that the chest respiration is auxiliary, as the animal also appears to have some vocalization abilities which would normally be associated with a head respiration system.
Viperwolf: 6HQ Smaller predators and scavengers, gregarious by nature who naturally hunt in packs. Clear relation to the Thanator by the jaw structure and general anatomy, though they are more akin to jackals or dogs.
Direhorse: 6HQ Nectivorous horse-analogues domesticated/partnered by the Na'vi. These are social pack animals which are more commonly found on the plains.
Hexapede: 6HA Herbivorous deer-analogues, traditionally hunted by the Na'vi and any other predator. There is a conspicuous lack of Queue in these organisms and they appear to be head-breathers.
Banshee: 6CQ Carnivorous aerial mounts, pteradactyl-like in appearance, who bond to Na'vi hunters. These nest on the apparently abundant cliff faces on Pandora and are only preyed upon by Great Leonopteryx.
Great Leonopteryx 6CQ Also known as Last Shadow as befitting their role as aerial apex predators, this species is generally analogous to a Roc or a Dragon from a Terran perspective. Solitary by nature, these would have to be quite rare in order to avoid overconsumption of prey (Banshee).
Final Thoughts
Examining the ecosystems on Pandora, I find both frequent commonalities and some startling divergences. There has been some legitimate scientific support in the creation of the world, they clearly had some not insignificant care in the science. While there were a number of elements lacking in the story, I think that the overall faunal diversity and anatomy are plausible and fascinating. The presence the Great Tree stretches things quite a lot, but the common presence of ferns seem to be a relatively sensible approach all the same to the flora as well. Adding to the fact that Sigourney Weaver was given the role of Botanist and chief scientist, I would grant this film my approval.
Environmental Conditions
Before any discussion of physiology can be broached, it is worthwhile to discuss the environment within which the organisms are found. The radiation levels and gravity are within human tolerances and are near earth levels, as the humans are able to put their skin in contact with the air in sunlight without burns, freezing or corrosion from the atmosphere. The temperature appears to be greater then room temperature according to the heat shimmer on atmospheric contact and the gas mixture seems to be compatible with human levels. My assumption from the apparent water and the fact that it doesn't automatically kill humans on inhalation is that it is low in oxygen or potentially significantly higher in carbon dioxide. High CO2 levels would explain the altered respiratory systems and large amounts of vegetation. Sources in the Avatar wiki state it is high amounts of "ammonia, methane and chlorine." which would at least explain it's inhospitably to humans, though it would not explain the respiratory modifications.
There additionally seems to be some antigravity produced in unusual conditions, not by the unobtanium but but some additional mineral. This is suggested as there was no mining on the "Hallelujah Mountains" which would logically contain huge amounts of the antigrav substance. This has presumably led to the large amounts of aerial terrain and large cliff faces. The lower gravity of Pandora can partially explain this and should also be noted in it's own right.
Significant Traits
One of the frequently noted traits that differs is the presence of six legs, a trait missing in the Na'vi, and this absence appears to mark the Na'vi as being different from rest of the animal life. The middle limbs appear to be either bifurcations of front limbs or as secondary limbs coming from a similar joint. The absence of a third pair of limbs could easily be explained as a modification of a HOX gene which one might assume exists, should a Na'vi-human hybrid be possible. For the short form acronym, I will mark these as 6 as opposed to the 4 found on Terran style organisms.
Other interesting traits seem to be the altered respiratory systems, with respiratory orifices in the upper chest near to the collarbone in a Terran equivalent. This might indicate that there is a need to have less filtering or that the ambient air temperature is ideal for physiological functions. Might be indicative of poikilothermic organisms vs the homeothermic ones. Perhaps These are only sometimes present, and in cases where this altered anatomy is present I will mark these as C (Chest) as opposed to the Terran H (Head) breathers.
The third adaptation is the Queue, the nervous connection from head which permits for linkages between organisms. Such a direct linkage is an extremely difficult adaptation, as any modification to any of the organisms would have led to the loss of this functioning. This appears to allow for some limited communication between organisms and through the neural network of Pandora, though only the Na'vi appear to use it for domestication/partnerships in an obvious fashion in the film. Most if not all of the organisms on Pandora have such a Queue (Q), but those for whom it is absent (A) exist according to the film.
The fourth adaptation appears to be nearly ubiquitous and that is photo-luminescence. Everything appears to glow to some extent, though this is mostly found in vegetative life. One posited explanation for this is as a defense mechanisms for vegetation; attracting top predators in the case of herbivores. This might have also been modified for the use of heavily social and gregarious organisms such as the Prolemuris and Na'vi.
Species List
Humans: 4HA organisms, with four limbs, breathing through the head and missing a Queue. Non-native.
Na'vi: 4HQ organisms, the purportedly native sentient tool workers. Apparently several behaviour norms (kissing and holding) are held in common with humans with no justification. Likewise, clothing covers apparently normal sized mammary glands, despite the fact that the normally small breasts appear not to be secondary sexual characteristics in females.
Prolemuris: 6HA?. These monkey analogues are social arboreal herbivores, non aggressive in nature and encountered early on by the protagonists. The Queue was not evident, though it would be particularly unusual as these appear to share evolutionary ancestry with the Na'vi.
Hammerhead Titanothere:6CQ. Large herbivores who appear to use their Queues to communicate with some of the flowers. When the protagonist triggered the flowers, he alerted the territorial animal. Perhaps a detection system to protect from a Thanator attack?
Thanator: 6CQ. These are the top terrestrial predator, one of whom was bonded to a Na'vi via the Queue in the movie. These clearly share ancestry with the Viperwolves, though they have more in common with Terran Panthers.. It is possible that the chest respiration is auxiliary, as the animal also appears to have some vocalization abilities which would normally be associated with a head respiration system.
Viperwolf: 6HQ Smaller predators and scavengers, gregarious by nature who naturally hunt in packs. Clear relation to the Thanator by the jaw structure and general anatomy, though they are more akin to jackals or dogs.
Direhorse: 6HQ Nectivorous horse-analogues domesticated/partnered by the Na'vi. These are social pack animals which are more commonly found on the plains.
Hexapede: 6HA Herbivorous deer-analogues, traditionally hunted by the Na'vi and any other predator. There is a conspicuous lack of Queue in these organisms and they appear to be head-breathers.
Banshee: 6CQ Carnivorous aerial mounts, pteradactyl-like in appearance, who bond to Na'vi hunters. These nest on the apparently abundant cliff faces on Pandora and are only preyed upon by Great Leonopteryx.
Great Leonopteryx 6CQ Also known as Last Shadow as befitting their role as aerial apex predators, this species is generally analogous to a Roc or a Dragon from a Terran perspective. Solitary by nature, these would have to be quite rare in order to avoid overconsumption of prey (Banshee).
Final Thoughts
Examining the ecosystems on Pandora, I find both frequent commonalities and some startling divergences. There has been some legitimate scientific support in the creation of the world, they clearly had some not insignificant care in the science. While there were a number of elements lacking in the story, I think that the overall faunal diversity and anatomy are plausible and fascinating. The presence the Great Tree stretches things quite a lot, but the common presence of ferns seem to be a relatively sensible approach all the same to the flora as well. Adding to the fact that Sigourney Weaver was given the role of Botanist and chief scientist, I would grant this film my approval.
