Characters and wildlife in Avatar

This article lists the fictional characters in the 2009 James Cameron science fiction film Avatar.

Neytiri
Zoe Saldaña voices Neytiri, a princess of the Na'vi tribe central to the story, who is attracted to Jake because of his bravery. The character, like all the Na'vi, will be entirely computer generated. Saldaña has also signed on for potential sequels.

Mo'at
C. C. H. Pounder voices Mo'at, the Na'vi queen.

Tsu'Tey
Laz Alonso voices Tsu'Tey, one of Pandora's finest Na'vi warriors and Neytiri's intended mate.

Eytucan
Wes Studi voices Eytucan, The Na'vi king of the Omaticaya Clan, the mate of Mo'at and the father of Neytiri.

Akwey
Peter Mensah voices Akwey, a member of the Na'vi tribe.

Humans

 * Sam Worthington as Jake Sully. Cameron cast the Australian actor after searching the world for promising young actors, preferring relative unknowns to keep the budget down. Worthington auditioned twice early in development, and he has signed on for possible sequels. Cameron felt that because Worthington had not done a major film, he was "game for anything", giving the character "a quality that is really real. He has that quality of being a guy you'd want to have a beer with, and he ultimately becomes a leader who transforms the world."
 * Sigourney Weaver as Dr. Grace Augustine, a botanist who mentors Jake Sully. Weaver dyed her hair red for the part. Her character was named "Shipley" at one point. The character reminded Weaver of Cameron, being "very driven and very idealistic".
 * Michelle Rodriguez as Trudy Chacon, a retired Marine pilot. Cameron had wanted to work with Rodriguez since seeing her in Girlfight.
 * Giovanni Ribisi as SecFor administrator Parker Selfridge, a passive-aggressive character.
 * Joel David Moore as Norm Spellman, a biologist who studies plant and nature life (like Weaver's character).
 * Stephen Lang as SecFor's Colonel Miles Quaritch, the main antagonist. Lang had unsuccessfully auditioned for a role in Cameron's Aliens (1986); the director remembered Lang and cast him in Avatar. Michael Biehn was considered for the role of Colonel Quaritch. He met with James Cameron three times and saw some of the 3D footage, but in the end it simply came down to the fact that Cameron didn't want people thinking it was Aliens all over again, as Sigourney Weaver had already been cast.
 * Dileep Rao as Dr. Max Patel. A Scientist that works in the AVATAR Program.
 * Matt Gerald as SecFor's Corporal Lyle Wainfleet, the second-most prominent villain, after Quaritch.

Leonopteryx
The Leonopteryx (Na'vi name: Toruk) is a species of airborne predatory animals native to Pandora. The fierce beauty and nobility of the leonopteryx gave the species a place in central Na'vi lore and culture. It is celebrated in dance, song, and with elaborate totems that symbolizes both the fear and respect accorded to the creature. The leonopteryx is considered crucial to the Na'vi sense of destiny and interconnectedness.

Although significantly larger, it is closely related to the banshee. The color pattern on its body is of striped scarlet, yellow, black and midnight blue. It has two crests on its head and lower jaw. Each crest is razor sharp and can be used to injure or disembowel prey or to cut through vegetation obstructing its flight. It has a distendible jaw and a large brain cavity. Its membranous wings are made up of carbon fiber stretched taught over a bony skeleton. The leonopteryx has powerful talons for grasping prey and perching, a twin tail for flight stabilization and flow-through ventilation which increases flight efficiency. Its wingspan is more than 25 meters.

The leonopteryx is the highest in the Pandora food chain and thus, Jake surmises, it would not be adapted to fending off a direct attack, especially from above. In the movie, Neytiri explains that Toruk was once flown by her grandfather's grandfather. Only an extraordinary Na'vi of Great Spirit would be able to pair with the creature. Thus, such an occurence would be extremely rare, seen only in times of great difficulties and distress in the natural order of Pandora.

The creature's name in Na'vi roughly translates to 'Last Shadow', as its preferred method of attack is from above, and its shadow would like be the last ever seen by its prey.

Banshee
The Banshee or ikran is a pteranodon-like mountain banshee is highly adapted for flight. Specially developed muscles attached to the breastbone allow for the powerful strokes needed to achieve lift. Bonding with a banshee is a dangerous and required rite of passage for all would-be Na'vi warriors. A Banshee bonds with only one Na'vi in their lifetime.

Direhorse
Direhorse or pa’li is a horse-like creature with six legs, tough skin with no fur, long necks and small head, bold stripes, flexible carbon fiber armor over shoulders and along the back of the neck and head.

Hammerhead
Hammerhead or titanothere is a massive, grazing creature travels in small herds or packs. It is moderately social, but also extremely territorial and hierarchical. When angered, a titanothere will lower its head and charge at the perceived threat. The sheer momentum and ferocity of this display is usually enough to send any Pandoran creature running for cover.

Thanator
Thanator or palulukan is one of 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. The speed of its neck and jaw strike is as swift as a camera shutter.

Viperwolf
The Viperwolf or nantang has six legs and a lean, powerful torso. The viperwolf has evolved to travel swiftly over long distances in search of prey. The ratio of brain mass to body weight of the average adult viperwolf indicates a high order of mental processing, pattern recognition and communication skills.

Hometree
The Hometree or Kelutrel is great enough to house dozens of clan members. The tree is honeycombed with natural hollows and alcoves in which the Na'vi sleep, eat, weave, dance, and celebrate their connection to Eywa. Like many sacred sites on Pandora, Hometree sits above a large deposit of unobtainium. The Hometree is more than 150 meters tall, roughly thirty meters in diameter