The great western tetrapteron (Na'vi name: tsawlfkio) is a bigger cousin of the common tetrapteron seen throughout Pandora's Western Frontier.
Its bifurcated beak is ideally suited to trawling along riverbeds and swamps to collect krill and small shrimp. It has one row of teeth, which act as a saw for the crustaceans and bigger fish that it scoops up as it wades through reeds and marshes.
Flying in flocks of five to ten individuals, tetrapterons feed together for protection, warning each other with a shriek when predators are near. Stormgliders and ikran hunt the great western tetrapteron for food, swooping down to pick off the weak and young from the flock.
Na'vi Culture[]
The Na’vi use the beautiful wings of the Great Western Tetrapteron for drum skins, and the hard shell of their beaks make good bowls and utensils. Na’vi children have a tetrapteron chase game, which involves mimicking a feeding flock huddled together. A ‘stormglider’ – whichever child is ‘it’ – runs in and tries to catch one of the flocks before they all run off.
Gallery[]
Sources[]
- Hunter's Guide in Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.
- Great Western Tetrapteron article, Pandorapedia