Tulkun

The **tulkun** is a large, intelligent marine species native to the oceans of Pandora. They are similar to Terran whales, which have gone extinct due to human activity.

## Flora Information

### Length

Males: 93-263 ft (28-80m)Females: 65.5-230 ft (20-70m)(size varies on age/maturity)[1]

## Culture

Tulkuns are highly intelligent creatures with their own unique culture and philosophy. Ian Garvin mentions they are likely smarter than humans, as well as being more "spiritual" and "emotional". However, this intelligence can only be expressed in its own unique way, similar to whales. This intelligence has allowed the tulkuns to form a culture among themselves, including the establishment of the tulkun way, an ancient pacifist doctrine stemming from their early history that forbids all forms of killing.

Tulkuns are slightly transcendent, being sentient and highly cultured, including rich family histories, mathematics, poetry, and sophisticated music. They have their own language, individual names and can communicate with the Na'vi. While the latter use sign language to interact with the mammals, the tulkun use vocal sounds and eye contact. They are very close to all of marine reef clans; for instance, the Metkayina clan see them as siblings. Each Metkayina member engages a lifelong bond with a tulkun early in their life, whom they call their spirit brother/sister. They celebrate each others' families, the birth of a new child and mourn the loss of a family member. Tulkuns can access memories stored within Eywa and are able to share their experiences with the Na'vi.

Adult tulkuns can be observed to have tattoos on their snouts and bellies similar in style to that of the reef clans.

## Anatomy

The tulkun is presumably the largest fauna on Pandora, being up to 300 feet (91.4 meters) long when fully grown. They also inhabit near-shore waters despite their size and can breach out of the water. They have dark grey/blue skin with areas of white coloration on their underbellies and colorful, stripe-like markings across their body. Characteristic of other Pandoran life forms, tulkuns have four eyes, two on each side of the head, that are orange in color, and the shapes of irises are different between larger and smaller eyes; the irises on smaller eyes resemble that of Terran goats. They have six flippers, although the last two have merged to become part of its tail, similar to Terran seals. They have six blowholes on their backs and highly durable armor plating across their body.

They can also reach fast speeds at 25mph, which is around the speed of the fastest human athletes. Their lifespans are long but can vary greatly from 150 to 250 years. They are also sexually dimorphic with the males typically being 8-10 meters larger and having bigger, more colorful crests than the females.

The tulkun have a single queue inside of their mouths and two sensory organs protruding from the bottom of their snouts. The most striking part of the tulkun are its pair of echolocation organs that appear as large, brightly colored head crests that protrude from the front of its snout.

Tulkuns produce a special substance from a gland in their brains dubbed "amrita" that completely stops the aging process of humans, which has turned them into prime targets for whaling operations within the Resources Development Administration. According to Mick Scoresby, a vial (around 1 liter) of amrita would sell for $80 million.

## Tulkun Hunting

As of 2170, the tulkuns are being targeted and killed by the Resources Development Administration's Cetacean Operations for the amrita in their bodies.

Tulkun hunting begins with a Seawasp following a flock of tulkuns to tag one as a target. The target chosen is usually a tulkun mother with a calf as she will not leave the calf, who swims slower. The Seawasp shoots a tracking beacon into the armor of the tulkun before regrouping with the Cet-Ops fleet.

The hunting process begins with the SeaDragon mothership deploying its fleet of boats and submersibles that give chase to the tulkun pod. Picador boats shoot depth charges to force the flock to surface and then herd away the flock from the target using sonic cannons. Next, Mako Submersibles shoot floater harpoons at the target's fins, further slowing it to near-total immobilization. Finally, the gunman on the Matador boat shoots an explosive-tipped harpoon into the underbelly of the tulkun, which explodes from within and kills the target.

To extract amrita from the tulkun, the carcass is collected by Crab Suits and returned to the mothership. The extraction team enters the mouth via an extending platform. Amrita extraction is straightforward with most processes done with automated computers and machines. The team locates the gland where amrita is present and a drill pierces the tulkun's skull to gain access. A syringe is inserted into the opening and the amrita is drawn through it into a large vial. The rest of the tulkun is discarded; the floater bags are cut and removed so that the carcass sinks to the ocean bed, wherein it is less likely to anger the Na'vi if discovered.

## Known Individuals

* Payakan (spiritual brother of Lo'ak)
* Roa † (spiritual sister of Ronal)
	+ Roa's calf †
* Tsireya's spiritual sister
* Akan (spiritual brother of Naia)

## Trivia

* They resemble and occupy a similar ecological niche to whales on Earth, being large filter feeders.
* The Māori people, the inspiration source of the Metkayina clan, have traditionally regarded whales as important figures such as being incarnations of Tangaroa (the water god), Taniwha (mystical beings), and as tribal guardians. Additionally, there are a number of whale-related legends, including the famous *Whale Rider*.
* As shown through Payakan’s vision, Tulkuns can see color, although it is slightly yellowed. This shows that unlike whales and dolphins, tulkuns are not colorblind.