Why did Aang name his lemur Momo?

Q: Is Momo a lemur cat?

Momo is a lemur from Avatar: The Last Airbender. He is Aangs pet that Team Avatar found at the the Southern Air Temple, and has been apart of the team since.

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Momo Was Named After Moon Peaches
Momo Wasn’t Actually The Last Flying Lemur
Chasing Bugs Is Momo’s Pasttime
The Flying Lemur Was Inspired By A House Cat
Major Story Arcs
Powers and Abilities
Other Media
Was Momo the last flying lemur?
Is Momo a boy or girl avatar?
What is Aang's lemur called?
Is Momo a lemur cat?

Aang chooses Momo as the name for his pet lemur after it steals a peach from Sokka. This is appropriate as momo is the Japanese word for "peach".

The only title card to appear not over a white screen.

Spoilers

The trivia item below may give away important plot points.

In the scene where Aang discovers the body of Gyatso, the body is surrounded by the corpses of multiple firebenders. The layout of the bodies strongly implies that Gyatso died defending himself and the Air Temple, and took down quite a few firebenders before he was killed.

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A flying lemur that Aang finds at the Air Temple. Aang names him Momo after watching him eat a peach. (Momo means ‘peach’ in Japanese.) The lemurs were the Air Nomad children’s favorite pets. Airbenders trained them to do many tasks, one of which was to retrieve their staffs if they dropped them off their flying bison.

The coolest thing about Team Avatar is the fact that our beloved cast of characters is made up of not just humans but cuddly creatures as well. Aside from the gentle giant that is fluffy Appa, playful little Momo is also an invaluable part of the Gaang - and rightly so! But while it may seem like he’s a simple creature on the outside, there are tons of tasty tidbits about this flying lemur that any Avatar fan should know about - and here are just a few of them.

Momo Was Named After Moon Peaches

Momo offered a whole bunch of moon peaches to Sokka after Team Avatar discovered him, and after he swiped the last piece from Sokka, Aang decided to name him “Momo.” The term actually originates from the Japanese term that means “peach,” which is a great nod to the flying lemur’s favorite fruit.
Momo Wasn’t Actually The Last Flying Lemur

Remember the pirate captain with an iguana parrot? He wasn’t surprised to see a flying lemur in the flesh, even immediately recognizing Momo as one. Professor Zei, the ultimate fanatic, also fanboyed over Aang and Appa, but not over Momo. This is further proof that while the Gaang never really encounters another winged lemur in the show, Momo isn’t the last of his species. This explains why lots of flying lemurs can be seen near Air Temple Island in the Legend of Korra.
Chasing Bugs Is Momo’s Pasttime

Momo absolutely loves chasing bugs, and whenever he’s flying, he actually likes it whenever he swallows a couple of critters! It may seem icky for us humans, but hey - Momo’s eyes are in front of his face, which clearly indicates he’s a pre dator, right? Of course, the whole “eating bugs” thing makes him being captured by the giant buzzard wasps in “The Dessert” extremely ironic...
The Flying Lemur Was Inspired By A House Cat

According to co-creator Bryan Konietzko, Momo is a personal favorite to draw mainly because the flying lemur reminded him of Buddy, his childhood cat. It does make sense - Momo certainly acts like a typical house cat every so often!

Origin

Momo and Fruit

Momo is a small feisty brown and white Winged lemur, that roamed the deserted and abandoned Southern AIr Temple ruins. Aang, Katara and Sokka decide on visiting the temple as it was Aang's former home. Aang reminisces and relives old memories with his new companions. Whilst observing the Avatar statures in the Southern AIr Temple Sanctuary the group are startled by a large shadow that they fear belong to Fire Benders. Much to their relief it turns out to be a small Flying Lemur. Aang wishes it for a pet, however Sokka's hunger has him viewing Momo as a potential snack. The two chase after Momo before Aang discovers the body of an old friend and pauses to reflect. After Momo steals a peach from Sokka, Aang names him Momo. Aang also speaks to both Momo and Appa that they are the last survivors of the Southern Air Benders and as such, need to stick together. Aang introduces Momo to Katara and Sokka as an official part of their team.

Momo is considered to be one of the few living survivors of the Air Nomad Genocide. A Genocide enforced to ensure the end of the Avatar lineage. Despite being a small animal, Momo demonstrates a crafty and cunning intelligence and loyalty and affect to those in his traveling party, especially Aang and Appa, although he would often play fight with the latter over food. Momo also enjoys pleasant interactions with Toph. Toph once rescued Momo during a particularly windy storm when Momo almost flew off Appa. Later on when Toph fell off Appa, Momo desperately flung himself towards her in an effort to save her. Momo has large green eyes and a striped tail.

Creation

The Momo character is created by Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino. Momo first appears in the Avatar: The Last Air Bender animated series, episode "The Southern Air Temple". Momo is voice by Dee Bradley Baker. Momo is considered to be the last of his kind, that being a Winged Lemur. Momo is the Japanese word for peach. Curiously enough Momo steals and eats a peach in his first appearance. Momo's creation process evolved a lot from his early inception, as he was originally conceived as a robot. Creators also thought of revealing Momo as the reincarnated character Monk Gyatso. Avatar co creator Bryan Konietzko cites Momo as his favorite character to draw.

Major Story Arcs

Book One: Water
A lonely Momo wanders the ruins of the Southern AIr Temple, to be discovered by Aang and his group, and now along with Appa and Aang, the last of his kind, will travel to save the world. Momo is characterized by his agility, curiosity, and appetite for fruit. In Omashu, Momo had his first opportunity to help out the team, as his small size could allow him and only him to slip through a vent and seek help from Appa, however after exhausting his appetite eating too much fruit, Momo was too big for the vent. Momo also comes in handy aiding Katara at a later point when he cuts a rope binding her, freeing her from captives. Momo also encounters a Reptile bird during his time with the group, and manages to defeat it using quick thinking.

Book Two: Earth
Again in Omashu, a small child, who also happened to be the son of the New Ozai Governor, is fascinated with Momo's pretty striped tail, and so decides to follow the cute Flying Lemur, unintentionally causing his parents to worry with fear that he has been kidnapped. When Appa goes missing and is subsequently stolen, Momo was distraught, missing his friend and even attempted to search for the big Sky Bison. Getting into a fight with some pygmy pumas, Momo is then forced to dance as a monkey in a side street attraction, eventually befriending the pygmy puma's they lead him to Appa's footprint, where Momo curls up and sleeps dreaming of his friend.

Book Three: Fire
Momo and Sokka's messenger Hawk, Hawky often scuffle and fight and display aggression towards each other, with Appa needing to intervene. When Aang hallucinates, he envisions Momo and Appa speaking to him and entering into a bizarre duel

Fruit Stand Freestyle
A hungry and sneaky Momo attempts to steal some fruit from a fruit stand, and succeeds, but has to deal with a baby Boarcupine who chases and attacks him. Momo managed to use his tail to trip and hang the aggressive animal.

Powers and Abilities

Momo as would indicate as his status as a Flying Lemur, has the ability to glide and fly. Despite being a small animal, Momo has demonstrated the ability to fiercely attack and assault any who dare to attack or bring harm to his friends. Momo has incredible strength for his size, sufficient to support and carry Aang on a few occasions. He also manages to get the upper hand in his various physical encounters with other animals his size, including messenger hawks, Reptile birds and (baby) Boarcupines.

Other Media

Momo appears in the live action film based on the Avatar: The Last Airbender animated series.

Was Momo the last flying lemur?

The winged lemur is a small, energetic animal that is critically endangered. Momo is the only known survivor of winged lemurs that survived the Air Nomad Genocide, though the ring-tailed winged lemur, a closely related species, was discovered after the end of the Hundred Year War.

Is Momo a boy or girl avatar?

Momo (Avatar: The Last Airbender).

What is Aang's lemur called?

Avatar: The Last Airbender would be nothing without the quiet comfort of Aang's loyal pet lemur, Momo. Aang first discovered Momo in Season 1, after visiting the Southern Air Temple, and the two became inseparable after that.

Is Momo a lemur cat?

Momo is a lemur from Avatar: The Last Airbender. He is Aang's pet that Team Avatar found at the the Southern Air Temple, and has been apart of the team since.