The dinicthoid (Na'vi name: srakat) is a large Pandoran fish that lives in Pandora's lakes and murky lowland drainages. It has a very thick armor that makes it stronger and more durable than other fish.
Anatomy[]
Its head features two large, protruding red eyes that can see for long distances underwater in dim light. It also features a disconcertingly humanoid false face (used to befuddle or frighten would-be predators) that is created by folds at the top of the skull. The mouth is filled with triangular, blade-like teeth. Its semi-transparent body reveals its spinal column and inner organs. Like most vertebrates on Pandora, the Dinicthoid has two pairs of eyes on each side of its head. It has a long, sharp barb on the end of its tail, making it an even more formidable animal to encounter.
Abilities[]
When stimulated by prey or predators, it can reach high speeds by gyrating its flexible sides, much like a manta ray. It also has two flipper fins extruding from either side just beyond the head that are used for propulsion and steering. It's easily as deadly as many of its land-dwelling counterparts.
Feeding[]
When hunting at night, the dinicthoid can pulse with bioluminescence to take on the appearance of a smaller, more docile creature to lure prey closer. Conversely, it can control its markings to appear even larger and fiercer. Despite its ferocious nature, it can also feed on plant life, including fallen seeds and pods.
Scientists continue to marvel at the ferocity of the fish. Pandoran biologists recently watched as an unlucky young sturmbeest wade into a small pond to drink, only to be dragged beneath the surface by a school of hungry dinicthoids. Such theatrical violence has led scientists to fear that the fish may be smuggled back to private aquariums on Earth. Should this occur (followed by an inevitable release of the fish into sewers or canals), the consequences for the already-distressed ecosystems would be dire.
Human Usage[]
Weaponized dinicthoid have been spotted at RDA research aquariums in the Great Basin. RDA corporate culture has shown evidence of a certain acquisitiveness for dinicthoid spawned in RDA labs. Captive specimens are extremely aggressive and have been known to slam against the glass of a holding aquarium.
Trivia[]
- Though not seen in the movie, the dinicthoid (under the older name Dinicthys) appears in James Cameron's Project 880, where one was being kept at a laboratory. This dinicthoid had a habit of slamming itself against its aquarium's glass window.
- In the NDS game, the fish is still called dinicthys.
- The dinicthoid has a noticeably different design in The World of Avatar: A Visual Exploration, with a sharper snout and elongated body.
- A cut Pandorapedia entry can be found datamining James Cameron's Avatar: The Game, suggesting it is a cut creature, although it says it is up to 1 meter in length, not 3.
References[]
- James Cameron's Avatar: An Activist Survival Guide pg 69-70
- James Cameron's Avatar: The Game NDS - Ingame Pandorapedia
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