The Real Science of Avatar

On Pandora: Mountain Banshee
The Na'vi ride the brightly colored, dragon-like banshees — so called for their piercing cry — through the mountaintops of Pandora. Banshees have four feathered wings with a 45-foot span. Each animal bonds with one Na'vi warrior in its lifetime, connecting with its rider through a bundle of nerve fibers called a queue.

• In Honor of Earth Day: The Earth from Above