Flying bison



Flying Bison, also called "Sky Bison", lived in the Air Temples and before the war were supposedly the only way to reach them (other than Dragons perhaps).

Air Temples are inhabited by exotic fauna, one species of which is the six-legged, three-toed, five-stomached, beaver-tailed, Flying Bison, also called sky bison, are giant domesticated flying beasts ridden by Airbenders. According to a behind-the-scenes interview with the show's creators, they are a hybrid between a bison and a manatee. These creatures have brown eyes, shaggy, light grey fur and a brown stripe that runs along their back, from tail-tip to forehead, where it terminates in an arrowhead. In "The Great Divide", Aang reveals that Appa has five stomachs. These creatures are the main mean of transportation for Air Nomads.



All Flying Bison can use airbending to fly, utilizing their broad tails to steer through air currents and also to defend themselves. As shown in "Appa's Lost Days", they are also able to use their mouths and possibly their noses to Airbend. A fully-grown Flying Bison can easily weigh ten tons. They are revered by the Air Nomads, whose tattoos deliberately emulate their arrow-shaped markings, for inspiring the Airbending art, similarly to how Badgermoles inspired Earthbending and the Dragons with Firebending. It was customary for young air nomads to choose an air bison to be their lifelong companion. Aang chose Appa at the Eastern Air Temple, when he was a baby calf, by giving him an apple.

To direct a Flying Bison to take flight, Aang uses the command "Yip-yip". To summon one from a far location, one may use a Flying Bison whistle. Though fairly docile, these creatures can be fearsome when aroused to fight. The most notable and possibly last surviving Flying Bison is Appa, Aang's pet and major means of long-distance transportation.

A Flying Bison is first seen in "The Boy in the Iceberg".

Connection
A Flying Bison is a cross between a bison and a manatee. The real life bison shares a similar history to the flying bison in that they were a very abundant species until foreigners came and hunted them down, reducing their numbers to near extinction.

Behind the Scenes
The movement animation of the flying bison was heavily influenced by the similarly-shaped six-legged Catbus in Hayao Miyazaki's movie My Neighbor Totoro. The series's creators have professed their fandom of Hayao Miyazaki in many interviews.