After The Fall of civilization, life on the planet changed drastically, devolving to a more primitive state. Still, despite the havoc wrought by the thermonuclear Apocalypse, several different animal species can be seen throughout the Mad Max franchise, with many of them typically being hunted by people as commodities for meat or fur, as beasts of burden, or they are even kept as pets.
Beetles[]
Nux finds and eats a Beetle in Mad Max: Fury Road.
Birds[]
Mr. Skyfish a member of The Lost Tribe uses a kite made from a dead bird.
It is mentioned that Fuk-ushima fed his pet Monitor Lizard birds.
In the Green Place there were several species of Birds, among them, Parrots.
In Mad Max: Fury Road, Nux used a bird skull as a Bobblehead on his car.
Bulls[]
The Thunderbike, a motorcycle owned by the Roobillies, the Toe Jam gang, has the skull of a horse along with bull horns.
Camels[]
Camels are large mammals that are sometimes domesticated.
In Mad Max 2, Lord Humungus and his Marauders had some Camels in a corral.
In Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, Max was riding the Camel Wagon towed by Camels in the opening scene, and said animals are also kept in Bartertown, as indicated when they were sold at an auction in said location.
Chickens[]
Chickens are large, domesticated birds kept for meat and eggs.
A Chicken appears eating food in Mad Max.
The Oil Refinery group owned some Chickens in Mad Max 2.
Corvids[]
Crows and Ravens, Genus Corvus -- omnivorous birds that are a part of the Corvidae family -- make several appearances in Mad Max, Mad Max: Fury Road, and in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.
In the first Mad Max, there is a very brief shot of an Australian raven.
In Mad Max 2, where we are told about The Fall, the gaze of a Crow appears for a very few seconds.
In Furiosa, corvids are seen several times feeding on carcasses.
Additionally, in Fury Road, a large group of crows live in the ruins of The Citadel. And the Crow Fishers hunt them for food in the toxic bog that was once the Green Place.
Historically, corvids have often been viewed as ominous symbols of death because of their black appearance and the fact that they feed on dead things (carrion.) From Mind Body Green.com:
What A Crow Symbolizes
"Ravens and crows often—but not always—represent death," explains Daniel P. Compora, Ph.D., an associate professor at the University of Toledo whose scholarly focus is on folklore and popular culture. (A group of crows is called a "murder," after all.)
Some also consider crows to be messengers that are capable of existing between both worlds. "They represent spiritual law, the universal wisdom that the physical world must integrate,'' says Cat Rambo, a sacred medicine and dreamwork expert.
This means that crows can be considered a good omen or a bad omen, depending on the number of crows and the context.
"Seeing a single crow is often thought to be a bad omen, but seeing two could indicate good luck is coming," says Compora. "Seeing three suggests impending change."
He adds that these interpretations are not universal, and different cultures have their own unique perspectives on crows.[1]
Dogs[]
Dogs are domesticated, carnivorous mammals often kept as pets for ages.
After the end of civilisation, Max Rockatansky owned two unnamed dogs. The First with his deceased family in the events of Mad Max, he was killed by Toecutter.
The second being his only companion in the Wasteland whom he called " Dog " in Mad Max 2, he was killed by a crossbow dart from one of Lord Humungus' Marauders. At least Max was able to avenge "Dog" death by blowing up the Interceptor, killing The Toadie and the Marauder who killed "Dog" . In The Oil Refinery, the members of the Pappagallo Tribe, the Captain's Girl and her Family had a pet Puppy that they carried wrapped in blankets in te same movie of Mad Max 2.
After the death of his first dog, Max encountered another named Dinki-Di, initially of propriety of Scabrous Scrotus. However, after the combat dog is ordered to attack Max and fails to stop the Road Warrior, it is brutally kicked-off the Landmover by Scrotus as punishment. After Max reawakens from the fight with the warlord, the dog chooses to stay with him. (Mad Max 2015 video game)
In Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, Dementus keeps three, large Teodora Corso dogs who eat human flesh as evidenced when Dementus thows Toe Jam's dead body on the ground and they start eating it, it is also evident when Jack and Furiosa arrive at the Bullet Farm to discover one of the dogs with a foot in its mouth.
Emu[]
Savannah Nix wears a hat made from the feathers and head of an Emu.
Fish[]
In the Green Place there were Fish used as food by the Vuvalini of Many Mothers.
Flies[]
A man in The Citadel collects human corpses to breed fly larvae for food and trade them with other people. The Wretched used severed limbs to grow fly maggots to use as food.
In the 2015 Mad Max videogame, if Max can't find food he can eat corpse fly larvae.
Horses[]
Horses are large, domesticated, herbivorous mammals that are used as mounts by some tribes and communities in the Wasteland.
In Mad Max 2, Wez had a stick with a horse skull on it.
In Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, the inhabitants of Bartertown use Horses to tow their carriages. After Max discovered Blaster was a mentally disabled man and refused to kill him and Ironbar finished the job with a hand crossbow. Max is forced to "face the wheel," a form of justice decided by the turning of a wheel of fortune. Ironbar exiles Max in the desert, saddled and tied to a Horse, who walks into the desert with a small container of water hanging from a post in front of him until he finally collapses in the desert and is swallowed by quicksand, although Max is saved when his Monkey finds him and Savannah Nix saves him.
In Furiosa, the prequel film to Mad Max: Fury Road, the Vuvalini of Many Mother of the Green Place rode Horses. In fact, Toe Jam and his crew were in the Green Place killing a Horse for meat when they absconded with Furiosa, also, the Thunderbike, a motorcycle owned by the Roobillies, the Toe Jam gang, has the skull of a horse along with bull horns.
Insects[]
In the Green Place there were Insects.
Kangaroo[]
At the beginning of Mad Max 2, a Kangaroo appears killed by an arrow.
Klipspringer[]
The Keeper of the Seeds used the skull of a Klipspringer where she put soil and then a seed from which a small plant grew. (Mad Max: Fury Road)
Lizards[]
Many species of lizards lived in the Wasteland. During a confrontation between Lord Humungus' Marauders and Pappagallo's tribe, the Feral Kid was settled near a Shingleback Lizard. (Mad Max 2)
In Bartertown there is a coffee shop called " Atomic Cafe " where in addition to serving alcoholic beverages they also served food such as " Lizard Soup " . One child of The Lost Tribe was playing with a Frilled-Necked Lizard before the rescue of Max (Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome)
To conquer The Citadel, Immortan Joe used a Monitor Lizard to find a secure path and help them to climb the walls. However, the Monitor Lizard, not wanting to go up, Fuk-ushima decided to cut off his own finger and tie it to the Lizard's head, making it go up if it wanted to eat the finger, thus finding a way to enter The Citadel. (Mad Max Fury Road: Nux & Immortan Joe)
In the 2015 Mad Max video game, a lizard can be eaten as food.
At the beginning of Mad Max: Fury Road, when Max is observing the desert, a two-headed lizard (presumably deformed due to radiation) approaches him, to which Max stomps it and then eats it alive.
Mices[]
It is mentioned that Fuk-ushima fed his pet Monitor Lizard mice.
George Miller said that the Coma-Doof Warrior lived with his mother drinking sea water and eating rodents.
Monkeys[]
Scrooloose feeds Max's monkey.
Monkeys are an introduced species of Australia.
Max Rockatansky owned a Unnamed Monkey during his involvement with Bartertown affairs. (Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome)
Moths[]
The Buzzards breed Moths for food.
Parrots[]
Parrots are colourful fruit and seed-eating birds. A small flock of cockatoos -- a type of parrot -- are seen in The Green Place during the opening scene of Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga.
Pigs[]
The Oil Refinery group owned some Pigs. And there was a pig farm called the Underworld in Bartertown where Master was able to use their feces to power the town during the events of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.
It is also mentioned that the Pig Killer earned that nickname when he killed a Pig to feed his children.
Rabbits[]
Rabbits are introduced mammals diffused in the Wasteland.
An anonymous person ran over a Rabbit in the first Mad Max.
While he was transported against his own will to the Oil Refinery, Gyro Captain briefly glimpsed a running Rabbit which almost distracts Dog. In addition to Pigs and Chickens, the Oil Refinery group also had Rabbits.
Moments later Wez, one of Lord Humungus' Marauders, killed a Rabbit using his crossbow. (Mad Max 2)
Snakes[]
A python -- a non-venomous species of snake -- is used by the Gyro Captain as a trap to protect your Gyrocopter in Mad Max 2.
Gyro planned to eat his snakes, after Max returned to the Oil Refinery in the truck, Gyro in his Gyrocopter helped Max by throwing a snake at a Lord Hummungus Marauder.
Gallery[]
