Ilu

Ilu
Biographical Information
Na'vi name	Ilu
Lifespan	55-60 years
Habitat	Oceans
Physical Information
Length	2 - 15 meters (6.5 - 50 feet) (averaging 7 meters (23 feet))
Weight	Unknown
Skin color	Black top with colorful splotches and white underbelly
Eye color	Orange
Behind the Scenes
First seen	Flight of Passage
Last seen	Avatar: The Way of Water

The ilu is a large, plesiosaur-like sea creature that is the direhorse of the Pandoran oceans, fulfilling a biological role similar to that of a Terran dolphin or pinniped.

Anatomy and Behavior

The ilu is a sleek and lithe aquatic reptilian specimen with a long flexible neck, six flippers and rudder-like tail, closely resembling Earth's extinct plesiosaurs. It possesses four eyes and two queues, antennae-like neural whips extending from its temples. It is most observed with dark coloration on its upper body splotched with colorful markings and a white underbelly. Despite living underwater, the ilu breathes air, similar to Terran dolphins and whales.

The ilu has special echolocation organs which it uses for communication.

Its top speed is 32 knots (37 mph/60kph).

Ilu eat fish, such as the glider fin.

Use by the Na'vi

Kiri riding an ilu

The ilu is intelligent, sociable, and easily domesticated. It serves as mount for the reef clans, including the Metkayina and Ta'unui, just as direhorses serve the Na'vi clans of the forests and plains. They are as common in the ocean as ikran are in the sky and can be found in groups near the settlements of oceanic Na'vi clans. Unlike ikran, ilu do not form lifelong bonds with a particular Na’vi. If an ilu has been familiarized with the concept of tsaheylu, any rider can mount that ilu.

Trivia

• The ilu's body was inspired by the manta ray while its neck was inspired by the Plesiosaurus.
• There is a deleted scene of Neytiri struggling to ride an ilu. Ronal tells Neytiri to focus on the kuru bond and not treat the ilu like an ikran, rather than trying to hold the ilu as strongly as possible. Neytiri claims she knows how the bond works and fails again.
• The ilu appears in the Pandora: The World of Avatar attraction "Flight of Passage" during a banshee flight. Several ilu swim past the group at once, quickly cutting through the waves and leaping like dolphins.

Sources

• Guide to the Flora & Fauna of the Valley of Mo'ara
• Sticker book
• Avatar.com Pandorapedia - Ilu article

References

See the image gallery for Ilu