Midi-chlorians

Midi-chlorians (MID-ee CLOR-ee-uns), the residents of all living cells, are the enablers of life and knowledge of the Force. They are responsible for the perception of the Force and the ability to manipulate it or be controlled by it. Anakin Skywalker, his son Luke Skywalker, and Yoda are the three Jedi with the highest concentration of midi-chlorians in their cells. They were known to have more Force-induced visions or premonitions then other Jedi with similar ability. A higher-than-normal count of midi-chlorians usually indicates Force-sensitivity, while some nonsentient species are connected to the Force anyway: vornskrs, ysalamiri, voxyn, and dashta eels, and all but the eels are native to Myrkr. The midi-chlorian rate for normal, non-Force-sensitive creatures is about 2,000-2,500 midi-chlorians per cell, and Anakin had over 20,000 per cell. One particular non-Jedi Force-sensitive human was Nova Stihl, an Imperial sergeant, at over 5,000 midi-chlorians per cell. Some have experimented with artifically imbuing a creature with midi-chlorians, or transferring them. A Dark Jedi called Desann transferred dark Force energy into people to give them Force-sensitivity, too.

Bonegnawer

Native to Tatooine, bonegnawers are immense birds of prey whose wingspans could be 25 to 30 feet wide. Admired and feared by others of the planet, bonegnawers are speedy and their jaws, beaked and toothed, can crunch rock. "Gnawlets," as they are called, are not able to see immediately, but are able to emit sounds after a couple of hours. They eat the parents' catch's bone marrow, as they will for the duration of their lives. After mating, a male and female stay together and don't join company with any others of their kind. A pair's territory reaches out about 20 miles in every direction from the nest, and a solitary male's is about half that. Females, if not paired with mates, will form flocks with other females, and won't try to defend the immediate landscape as territory. Solitary males or pairs, however, will defend their land fiercely. Adults have vivid red plumage on both their chest and tail, and their beaks are black. Females' wings are brown or gold, and males' plumage consists of blues and purples. Nests are carved out of rock, and they were usually used for a long time, because unless faced with severe changes or weather, they'll stay put. Bonegnawers hunt womp rats, small or sick banthas, and even humanoids. Due to the bonegnawers' swift and silent flight, the prey is unlikely to escape. After capture, the prey is eaten at the site, but the bones are brought back for the marrow, which is fed to young or eaten by the adults. Bonegnawers mate only about three times, maybe four, in their lives. Due to natural and poaching dangers, only three to six of the eight to ten laid by the female will survive the incubation phase, which lasts 14 months. Due to the imprinting of gnawlets, these giant birds make great guard animals and hunters. Poachers took great risks to get gnawlets because of the profits possible of making in the business.

Massiff

These reptilian predators are nonsentient natives of Geonosis, and residents of Tatooine (Attack of the Clones). On Tatooine, they were domesticated by the Tusken Raiders, and on Geonosis, if the Geonosians supplied the shelter, the massiffs (MAS-siff) will rid the hives of pests and other such creatures. You can tell the age of a massiff by the number of antlers down its back. It is believed that a ship carrying massiffs crashed in one of Tatooine's infamous sandstorms, and the massiffs were nearly killed off by the Tusken Raiders. Some of the Sand People, however, kept them. Because their senses, specifically for Geonosis, were near useless on Tatooine, what with all the sand and visibility issues, they were kept as camp guards, attacking intruders upon sight.