Eopie/Legends

Eopies were herbivores native to the planet Tatooine.

Characteristics
The quadruped mammals were distinguished by their pale skin and long flexible snouts. An eopie's pale, white skin helped keep the creature cool by reflecting the intense rays of the planet's twin suns.



A special hinged skull allowed for a very flexible, elongated snout and a broader range for sharp incisors. Eopies got most of their moisture from desert lichens and tubers.

Eopies reached maturity around six standard years of age and their average lifespan was 90 standard years; however like most creatures, the animal would weaken with age. Young eopies were much more vulnerable to the harsh desert conditions of the twin-sunned world. Young eopies needed to consume more food than a mature one and were also unable to carry as heavy a load. Newborn eopies were slow and awkward and were preyed upon by some of the more dangerous creatures of Tatooine. Older eopies were kept by the planet's moisture farmers to eat desert weeds that absorbed the planet's already valuable moisture. They were also used as transports across the vast desert plains of the arid planet.

Eopies were renowned for their endurance and ability to carry a hefty amount of cargo. They also had a reputation of being stubborn or grumpy creatures. This however, could be attributed to their owners, who often pushed these animals to the limit, packing them with extremely heavy loads. It could also be attributed to the limited diet available to these beasts of burden, which gave them incredibly potent flatulence.

These creatures could also be used for consumption for their milk or their meat, in various dishes such as Eopie brisket, Eopie stew or Eopie cream pie.

Many breeds existed, including the dwarf eopie.

A population was apparently present on the planet Dra III where it was preyed upon by such creatures as the Nashtah. Several domesticated eopies were also present on Saleucami.

Behind the scenes
The name "eopie" may be a reference to the Eohippus, an alternate name for the ancestor of the horse, the Hyracotherium. Eopies also strongly resemble the prehistoric South American mammal Macrauchenia.

The development of the eopie began when a two-legged beast of burden concept was transplanted from Tatooine to Naboo to become the kaadu. In the kaadu's place came the eopie design.

An early Doug Chiang production painting of a kaadu hauling a Podracer engine was retouched in Photoshop so that the two-legged animal became a four-legged eopie.

Eopies appearing in the movies were actually CGI-edited camels.