The Real Science of Avatar

On Earth: Black Panther
The Thanator owes its big, bad, toothy blackness to another forest-dwelling carnivore, the black panther, the melanistic wildcats found in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Its unusual armored skin comes from the insect world — it is hard, but pliable, like the chitinous texture of a caterpillar's cocoon.

• In Honor of Earth Day: The Earth from Above