What is the Na’vi’s lifespan in ‘Avatar?’

One of the highest-grossing movies of all time, Avatar, is making its much-awaited comeback toward the end of the year, with Avatar: The Way of Water. At long last, viewers will be able to explore Pandora once more, and get reacquainted with the fascinating alien race, the Na’vi.

Despite being humanoid creatures, many things distinguish the Na’vi from humans. Their blue and striped skin is a dead giveaway, but their stature, pointy ears, and tails also paint a very clear picture of something alien to us. Physical attributes are not where the divergence stops, though. The Na’vi’s very biology makes them stronger, faster, and way more agile than the average human.

One other key difference between the Na’vi and human species are their lifespans. While a typical human might be able to enjoy 80 years of life, Na’vi usually have a much longer lifespan. Unless external factors get in the way, the average Na’vi can live between 160 to 180 years.

Taking this into consideration, one might assume that the Na’vi also age much slower than humans, but that’s not exactly the case. In fact, young Na’vi grow up quite fast, reaching adulthood in the span of 15 to 17 human years. This applies not only to physical maturity but also to cultural and mental progression as well. After getting to that point, they enter a stagnation phase where their aging process slows down, and they’re simply free to enjoy adulthood without the drag of physical decline.

In the next installments of the franchise, we’ll hopefully discover even more about the Na’vi and their way of life as Avatar: The Way of Water hits U.S. theaters on Dec. 16.