Utapau

Utapau (OO-tuh-POW), visited in Revenge of the Sith, is a sinkhole-ridden planet that lies approximately 51,000 lightyears from the Core, inhabited by the Utai and the Pau'ans, together called the Utapauns. Orbiting a solitary sun, unlike Tatooine, and orbited by nine moons, the core of this planet is molten metal, and less than a percent of Utapau's surface is covered in water. The water that once covered more of the planet leaked into underground caverns that were at one time magma chambers. This leakage caused the sinkholes that now dot the planet in abundance. In times ridden with conflict, this planet struggled to retain neutrality. Of the two races of near-humans that inhabit this Outer Rim planet, the tall, gray-skinned Pau'ans make up only about a third of Utapau's population; they assumed the more government-associated possitions in the Utapaun society, while the Utai served as janitors and lion tamers for varactyls and their dactillion relatives, both referred to as dragonmounts. The Pau'ans remained at the surface, and the Utai tended to live underground; but thanks to the former, the two now live in harmony, their cities built into the sides of the magnificent sinkholes. The native creatures here are the aforementioned dragonmounts, and the nos monster, a carnivorous, water-dwelling reptile.

Varactyl

You might recognize a picture of this reptavian herbivores, known not only as a varactyl (vuh-RACK-dull), but also by the name dragonmount. Herbivores, this semisentient species is native to Utapau, but is found on Kashyyyk--they are called dragonmounts because Wookiees ride them here--and a few other planets as well. A varactyl named Boga served as Obi-Wan Kenobi's transportation on Utapau in Revenge of the Sith, and a dragonmount call can be heard during the battle on Kashyyyk in this movie, as well. There faces are adorned with beaks, and the rest of their bodies with scales, thus, "rept-,"and feathers, thus, "-avian." These two fragments make up the word "reptavian," referring to creatures such as varactyls and bonegnawers that have both reptilian and birdlike characteristics. Females sport irridescent shades of blue and green, while males are decked instead with brown and occasionally orange. Fast, agile, and with claws made for Utapau's exploration, dragonmounts are well suited to traverse Utapauan terrain and are therefore impeccable steeds for those unfamiliar with the planet. It is stated that a dwarf subspecies was brought to Tatooine; this dwarf varactyl has four wings.

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.