Atlantean Creatures
Tomb Raider
Atlantean Creatures seem to be the foot-soldiers of Natla's army, as they occur most often out of all the Atlantean species that Lara Croft meets. While they closely resemble Mummified Atlanteans, these are evidently ones that have been newly created by Natla herself.
It is clear that they are not a new creation, as one of them can be seen in the FMV from the original game when Natla is cryogenically frozen by Qualopec and Tihocan. It is generally taken that they were created by Natla alone, and not by any other person.
Atlanteans, or at least those that Natla breeds, hatch out of large yellow pods. Physically, they do resemble the panthers and lions seen earlier in the game, leading some to mistakenly identify them in their mummified state as 'panther mummies' - however, given the growling noises they make and evidence in Tomb Raider Anniversary it is made clear that felines do figure in their ancestry.
Tomb Raider Anniversary
Evidence for the fact that the Atlantean Creatures are considered the ground troops of Natla's army is shown in one cutscene at the very top of The Great Pyramid, where Natla is depicted with a retinue of three or four of the creatures. Rather than hatching out of yellow sphericial pods, they instead are conceived in various fleshy 'wombs' that are attached to the walls of the Great Pyramid.
For more information on the physical characteristics of the Atlantean Creatures, see Mummified Atlanteans.
