Are Na'vi Placental Mammals?

[Ku'rända]

quote author=Teylar Ta Palulukankelku ]
Jim has already stated that the Na''vi aren't placental mammals and therefore don't breastfeed:

"Right from the beginning I said, 'She's got to have tits,' even though that makes no sense because her race, the Na'vi, aren't placental mammals''

It seems different sources contradict eachother. This source seems to contradict what Jim has said himself, and it's featured in the movie's bonus material  ?!

Maybe they aren't used for breastfeeding and have some other purpose, like that of camel humps...or maybe the existence of them simply helped the race to propagate, so because of evolution, they just stuck.

(Though I'm not sure why alien males would be attracted to tumor-like chest-growths if they didn't have some purpose.)
[/quote]

Maybe it's just a sex accessory? XD

[Human No More]

I found Suzy's post quite interesting. However:

A Na'vi female will typically produces from one to ten offspring

If i remember correctly, the Na'vi females don't give birth to that many children, since that would lead to over-population due to the lack of lethal disease on Pandora (meaning less deaths leads to less births).

Ten is obviously exceptional, and would obviously only happen in cases of very low population for whatever reason (certainly not impossible though, the Na'vi are stated to live as long as (22nd century) humans, which likely means significantly longer than 21st century ones).

Na'vi females have two breasts, and nurse their infants for up to four months.

Jim has already stated that the Na''vi aren't placental mammals and therefore don't breastfeed:

Yet again - that was in a single interview, made before the design was finalised, which contained numerous other glaring errors and should be taken as 100% non-canon (unless you believe Jake had no legs, the Na'vi are reptilians and that Pandora is a planet, among other things).

"Right from the beginning I said, 'She's got to have tits,' even though that makes no sense because her race, the Na'vi, aren't placental mammals''

It seems different sources contradict eachother. This source seems to contradict what Jim has said himself, and it's featured in the movie's bonus material  ?!

The film and its supplementary materials are canon, a single offhand remark in an early interview isn't.

[Txura Rolyu]

Well if you notice their breasts are not all that big. I wouldnt think they would be a part of extra storage as a camel but I think it is to hel tell the difference. They obviously cover their chests, the women do, so they are some sort of sexual attraction I am sure or else they would be winking you in the face all the time.

Just my thoughts.

[Zhäki]

Well if you notice their breasts are not all that big. I wouldnt think they would be a part of extra storage as a camel but I think it is to hel tell the difference. They obviously cover their chests, the women do, so they are some sort of sexual attraction I am sure or else they would be winking you in the face all the time.

Just my thoughts.

i think the reason they had their chests covered had more to do with human sensibilities than Na'vi ones. I mean, this was a movie made for a western audience. We have a very complex relationship with the naked body, breasts in particular. It wouldn't surprise me, if we didn't have these body hangups as a culture, if JC had just not bothered to cover them at all.

[Txura Rolyu]

That is what I have thought. But if he created a culture so seperate from ours then we would never understand easily... We would be staring at the eye candy rather than the story.

[ToktorGrace]

That is what I have thought. But if he created a culture so seperate from ours then we would never understand easily... We would be staring at the eye candy rather than the story.

Actually.. that's what most people DID do. It just happened to be a different kind of eye candy.


And regarding "covering of breasts" topic, the Na'vi do not seem to be too sensitive to that sort of thing - I bet the tswìn is considered far more sexual than breasts.

[Teylar Ta Palulukankelku]

Actually.. that's what most people DID do. It just happened to be a different kind of eye candy.

``Most people´´, ma Truro  ? Maybe most of the Avatar viewers you have heard of but i hardly believe that most (Majority, that is.) people that saw it only cared about the visuals  . IMO visuals can support a movie but not hold it. That's what plot, dialogue, acting and characters do. However, i think it's good that Cameron paid so much attention to the visuals, since i really believe the saying ``A picture tells more than a thousand words.´´. If the graphics had been poor, i think i would've found it difficult to take the rest of the movie seriously. I sometimes laugh at games and movies with bad graphics and effects, since i usually think it looks clowny  .

Bottom line: I believe Avatar's amazing visuals didn't overshadow the rest of it  .

[Lora Syulang]

I was going to mention on the belly button thing too but in light of the awesome points left all I got left to offer is the fact that there is also the word nokx that is not a loan word.

[Txura Rolyu]

If you look at how the Avatars are grow they require the placental sort of enviroment. They also have an umbilical cord so that is a good pointer that the Na'vi are placental.

[Amaya]

not really.  Analagous structures exist within eggs as well, a liquid environment and a cord leading from the belly to a structure surrounding the yolk...

[Kamean]

not really.  Analagous structures exist within eggs as well, a liquid environment and a cord leading from the belly to a structure surrounding the yolk...

Na'vi lay eggs?!?!?!
In my opinion it's a bad idea.

[Amaya]

hehehehehe no, no, what I'm saying is just having a "belly button" doesn't necessarily mean you also had a placenta.

[Kamean]

Tslolam

[Human No More]

not really.  Analagous structures exist within eggs as well, a liquid environment and a cord leading from the belly to a structure surrounding the yolk...

Na'vi lay eggs?!?!?!
In my opinion it's a bad idea.

They certainly don't according to the survival guide, deleted scenes and their physical aspects such as the presence of an umbilicus, as well as behavioural aspects (most egg-laying species abandon children either as eggs or shortly after hatching). The presence of breasts is another indicator of their being mammals.

[Amaya]

hehehehehe no, no, what I'm saying is just having a "belly button" doesn't necessarily mean you also had a placenta.