The boar-q-pine is a relatively large creature that inhabits many regions of the world.
History[]
A boar-q-pine once chased Momo through a marketplace in an attempt to take the food Momo had stolen.[1]
While seeking shelter when he was lost, Appa encountered a boar-q-pine in the Earth Kingdom. The boar-q-pine immediately attacked the flying bison when it landed in its territory. The two began to fight and, after rolling down a cliff, the boar-q-pine stood the victor. Appa, although severely injured, rose to continue the fight, eventually gaining the upper hand. The boar-q-pine was thrown through the trees to the ground, before it got up to flee.[2]
Having escaped Ba Sing Se after Azula's coup, Sokka attempted to teach Bosco how to be a real bear and survive in the wild. In an effort to show the bear how important it was to find shelter, he entered a cave, though was immediately chased out of it again by a wild boar-q-pine.[3]
During Team Avatar's stay at the Black Cliffs, Toph used her earthbending to launch a baby boar-q-pine toward her and land in her hand, unsuccessfully suggesting that Aang try acupuncture as a means to rid him of his worries and fears.[4]
Katara once icebent a slide underneath Toph in order to make her slide down a mountain and into a boar-q-pine den.[5]
Anatomy[]
The boar-q-pine is an enormous animal, though not nearly as large as a sky bison. It has the body and general appearance of a boar, but its body is covered in quills resembling those of a porcupine. It has a large head compared to the rest of its body, and from it jut a pair of sharp, white tusks. These tusks appear to grow upon nearing adulthood. As they mature, the quills that cover their body during youth begin to point backward instead of upward.
Behavior[]
The boar-q-pine is known to be extremely bad tempered and vengeful, yet also very shy and prone to adorable waddling.[6] It is carnivorous and is a predator of koala sheep;[7] both species are some of the few that inhabit the Black Cliffs. The boar-q-pine is a fairly docile and friendly creature when young, but it eventually develops into a large, vicious beast.
A boar-q-pine's quills were suggested as a form of acupuncture by Toph.
The boar-q-pine extends its quills during battle, allowing it to inflict serious damage even if defeated. The quills latch on to its opponent upon physical contact. During the fight with Appa, a lone boar-q-pine severely injured the bison with a blitz of extremely fast charges. Eventually, Appa anticipated an attack and was able to grab the boar-q-pine and throw it against a tree, prompting it to flee.[2] As a baby, a boar-q-pine relies on its quills as its main defense against predators.[4]
Connection[]
The boar-q-pine is a combination of the boar and the porcupine. It is also somewhat similar to the extinct entelodont, a giant prehistoric pig-like mammal.
Trivia[]
- In the final scene of the series finale, Zuko stated that Sokka made his hair look like a boar-q-pine in his painting.
- The boar-q-pine resembles the demon boar from Hayao Miyazaki's film Princess Mononoke, from which the creators have professed taking inspiration on numerous occasions.
- Its size, vicious nature, and sharp hairs also resemble mythological creatures, such as the Calydonian Boar, the Erymanthian Boar, and the Crommyonian Sow.
- After the Hundred Year War, a pro-bending team named itself the Black Quarry Boar-q-pines.[8]