What kind of animal is Naga?

Naga is a polar bear dog. She is Avatar Korra’s loyal animal companion, traveling partner, and main form of transportation throughout The Legend of Korra.

Polar bear dogs are fictional hybrid animals combining traits of polar bears and dogs. Naga is large, powerful, white-furred, and capable of carrying Korra over long distances, yet she also behaves like a devoted domestic dog. Her strength makes her useful in rescues and battles, while her loyalty gives Korra emotional support during difficult journeys.

Naga is not a sky bison, although she fills a somewhat similar companion-and-transport role to Appa in Avatar: The Last Airbender. She is also unrelated to badgermoles, the creatures associated with the origins of earthbending, and she is not a dragon. The series explains that wild polar bear dogs were feared and hunted by Water Tribe people; Korra is notable because she befriended Naga rather than treating her as a threat.