Lion turtle (species)

This article is about the species, you may be looking for the character of the same name.

Lion Turtles are, as their name suggests, a giant cross between a Lion and a Turtle. It is the largest known animal in the World of Avatar, with the largest reaching the size of an island.

Anatomy
Most of the Lion Turtle's body is that of a turtle; however, its face and paws are a lion's. Lion Turtles can attain a great age if they are not harmed, with the oldest one being the oldest creature on Earth. If a Lion Turtle is allowed to age for many eras, it becomes as large as an island; its shell becomes covered with plant life and certain animal life. At a younger age, the Lion Turtle is not much bigger than a Flying Bison, with no plant or animal life covering it.

Age and Numbers
The Lion Turtle species may be the oldest race of animals on Earth. The oldest specimen of this species is the oldest creature to live on earth, supporting this theory.

There is some debate to whether or not there is one Lion Turtle, there was only one known specimen of this kind by the arrival of Sozin's Comet in 100 ASC. However, paintings of the creature located in Wan Shi Tong's Library depict the Lion Turtle, much smaller and with no plant life on its shell, being followed by two of its kind. This suggests they were once more plentiful than the present day, where only one is implied to exist.

Trivia

 * There are several depictions of a Lion Turtle within the show.