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Z-95 Headhunter

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"I thought they smelled bad on the outside!"



Tauntaun Species

Some glacier tauntauns and giant tauntauns in a Hoth ice cave.

Tauntauns shared similar characteristics with kybucks, however were genetically different. They featured a mix of traditionally reptilian features, such as a lack of mammary glands and scaly skin. They had a layer of blubber under fur which ranged from gray to white and covered their bodies. They also have mammalian characteristics, as were also warm-blooded, and gave birth to live young; and in other ways, they can be also considered to be marsupials due to their appearance and mating process. Known subspecies included the glacier tauntaun, scaly tauntaun, climbing tauntaun, and the giant tauntaun (also referred to as the common tauntaun).



A tauntaun on the surface of Hoth

Despite these adaptations, tauntauns sought shelter at night to avoid the extreme nighttime temperatures of Hoth. When shelter was unavailable, they used their evolved ability to hibernate during low nighttime temperatures, maintaining a lukewarm internal temperature. Some tauntaun breeds actually froze to death if awakened after sundown. When not eating the fungus that grew beneath the frost layer or lichens found in glacial caves or valleys[4] the omnivorous tauntauns were also known to eat ice scrabblers and Hoth hogs.[2]





A wampa ambushing a tauntaun.

Tauntauns were the primary prey of the wampas. Besides their horns, natural camouflage, and their safety in numbers, tauntauns also relied on their ability to run 90 kilometers-per-hour[source?] to survive. The wampas got around this by ambushing their prey -- attempting to kill them before they could escape. The wampas would then drag the tauntauns to their caves and either eat them or hang their corpses upside down.




Tauntaun as Snuggie FDCR

Han Solo used the corpse of his tauntaun to keep Luke Skywalker warm.

The Hutt gangster Jabba Desilijic Tiure kept the head of a tauntaun as a trophy hanging on a wall in his throne room.[6] Captain Ozzik Sturn also had a head of a tauntaun in his private quarters on Kashyyyk.[7]


Also by the time of the Second Galactic Civil War, small stuffed tauntauns were available as children's toys. The smooth, silky fur of the plush made it pleasant for young children to snuggle with. Jacen Solo had given one to his daughter Allana as a gift to make sure that she and her mother Tenel Ka were not the sacrifice he had to make to become a Sith Lord. The toy inspired her to want a real one from the Coruscant Livestock Exchange and Exhibition, but her grandfather Han Solo denied her due to his experience on Hoth, stating the creature's unpleasant smell.

The droid L9-G8 once made tauntaun chowder for the Prince of Tamboon.[8]

Behind the scenesEdit

Early Tauntaun model

Reptilian-style model



The sounds of the tauntauns were created from a recording of an Asian sea otter.[9]

Tauntaun concept

Rodent-like concept sketch

In Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds the tauntaun is the preferred creature for the Rebel Alliance mounted trooper regardless of the climate of the planet.



In Star Wars: The Old Republic, Tauntaun Ram is a minipet given to all players with accounts active since April 21, 2012, and Tauntaun Fawn is a limited-edition minipet given to people who attended PAX East 2012. In Patch 2.3, the game introduced tauntaun mounts and offered the Tundra Tauntaun (a subscriber exclusive) or the Mountain Tauntaun.

The Pantone colors used by the films' production for the tauntaun were 427U, 467U and 463U.[10]


Non-canon appearancesEdit


Wookieepedia has 87 images related to Tauntaun.

Notes and referencesEdit

  1. 1.0 1.1 Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Galaxy Guide 3: The Empire Strikes Back
  3. 3.0 3.1 Star Wars Character Encyclopedia
  4. The Wildlife of Star Wars: A Field Guide
  5. MidWorld
  6. Star Wars: Episode VI Return of the Jedi
  7. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
  8. Scavenger Hunt, 21.
  9. Pirrello, Phil (May 10, 2019). 100 THINGS YOU DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. IGN. "Ever wonder where the sound of the tauntaun comes from? Ben "Yep, I track down sound effects for a living" Burtt used a recording of an Asian sea otter."
  10. InstagramIcon Tauntaun Pantone colors. Star Wars (December 15, 2013). Retrieved on January 16, 2014, 2:39 am UTC.

External linksEdit



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