Tauntaun/Legends




 * "And I thought they smelled bad on the outside."
 * &mdash;Han Solo

Tauntauns were two meter tall matriarchal omnivore reptomammals indigenous to the icy planet of Hoth subsisting on lichen found in Hoth's many ice caves. Tauntauns featured a mix of traditionally reptilian features, such as a lack of mammary glands, and mammalian features, such as giving birth to live young. They could give birth to two young at a time, twice in one Hoth year. They could be domesticated for riding. Tauntauns were covered in gray to white fur, featured large downturned horns and four nostrils, and ran on their hind legs. Known subspecies include the glacier tauntaun, climbing tauntaun, giant tauntaun, and scaly tauntaun. Many were exported offworld to other cold-climate regions (including Coruscant's polar caps) for use as mounts, beasts of burden and tourist attractions.

Tauntauns were the primary prey of wampas.

Tauntauns possessed numerous evolutionary adaptations to the biter, cold environs of Hoth. Those adaptations included wide feet for running across icy surfaces, chambered lungs that warm incoming air, and a digestive system that excretes wastes as oils through skin pores, producing a distinctive odor. The most important feature of tauntaun physiology was their unique blood mixture that is resistant to the tundra winds and keeps their organs from freezing. Despite these adaptations, tauntauns sought shelter at night to avoid the extreme nighttime temperatures of Hoth. When not eating fungus and lichens found in hoarfrost, tauntauns ate ice scrabblers and Hoth hogs.

Although stubborn creatures, these adaptations made tauntauns ideal patrol mounts for the Rebel Alliance's Echo Base when repulsor craft proved difficult to adapt to the extreme cold. Corporal Vyn Rolado was responsible for taming the alpha female of a tauntaun pack, which allowed the Alliance to easily train the remainder of the pack. Han Solo took advantage of the tauntaun's adaptive physiology when he cut open the belly of a tauntaun to use its warm innards to protect Luke Skywalker from freezing.

Behind the scenes
The creatures were represented on screen through a combination of puppetry and stop-motion animation.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Battlefront
 * Star Wars: Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader
 * Star Wars: Rogue Squadron III: Rebel Strike
 * Force Commander
 * Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
 * Dark Apprentice
 * Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy