Created through failed RDA experiments on thanators, these unstable predatros have lost their connection to Eywa.
Most commonly found near overgrown RDA facilities in the Heart of the Plains.
Behavior[]
The feral thanator has been subjected to traumatic surgical alterations by the RDA. The most notable of these is the removal of their neural whips, leaving the creatures unable to connect with their surroundings and packmates in a natural way, likely resulting in their erratic behavior
Anatomy[]
Armored head and massive distensible armored jaw.
Teeth are twenty-three centimeters long.
Burnished black skin banded with stripes of yellow and scarlet.
Ten external sensory quills.
Upper lips fold back for maximum tooth extension
Armored plating over dorsal area.
Apex land predator, omnivore with preference for nocturnal hunting.
Description[]
The most fearsome of all Pandoran land predators. Wide, armored tail can slam prey or defend against other thanators. Cartilaginous plates around its neck that can flare, possibly as a threat display but more likely as an echolocation or other sensory pinpointing system. Given its anatomy, it is likely that thanator is evolutionary relative to the viperwolf.
Although many regions of the moon have yet to be explored, Xenobiologists currently believe that the thanator may be the apex land predator on Pandora. Reminiscent of a Terran panther, this enormous, powerful animal is unique in its ability to lord over its territory and strike fear into the largest and fiercest of Pandora's creatures. Even the Na'vi, who are renowned for their courage, are shaken by the approach of the creature.
Its musculature is pronounced and impressive, providing power for protracted runs and leaps. The speed of its neck and jaw strike is as swift as a camera shutter. In addition to conventional ripping and tearing, the thanator can also deliver a lethal blow from its armored tail. The thanator's senses are so highly developed that, depending on atmospheric conditions, it can detect prey up to thirteen kilometers aways.
The thanator appears to hunt alone and normally does no stray outside of its territory, which is believed to be roughly 300 square kilometers. It appears to hunt mainly at night, although seems to make an exception if hungry enough.
Surprinsingly, the thanator has ten sensory quills, two each sprouting from armor plating that encircle the reat of the skull. The function of the quills is poorly understood, but it has been hypothesized that they may be tied to an internal mechanism of prey location.