Gundark/Legends

"I haven't felt you this tense since we fell into that nest of gundarks."

- Obi-Wan Kenobi to Anakin Skywalker

A gundark was a fearsome anthropoid known as one of the most vicious, strong, and aggressive species in the galaxy. These semi-intelligent creatures stood between 1 and 2.5 meters tall, with four powerful arms and large ears as wide as their head. Both their hands and feet ended with opposable digits. Gundarks were covered in short brown or gray hair.

Gundarks were found on many worlds throughout the galaxy (such as Naboo and Alaris Prime) and tended to live in temperate climates, though reports of arctic and desert gundarks were not unheard of. The gundark homeworld was uncertain, but possibly Vanqor. Most gundark populations were the offspring of escaped slaves or groups moved to new planets by Galactic Republic agents attempting to protect them from slavery. Though it was illegal to capture or hunt gundarks on many planets the creatures were often captured and sold on the black market. Because of their reputation as fearless combatants, gundarks were often placed in gladiatorial arenas, and were considered the ultimate prey by many big game hunters.

Culture


Though not quite as intelligent as sentient creatures, gundarks were advanced enough to use simple tools such as rocks and clubs. (In spite of this, the expression "gundark brain" was used as an intelligence insult.) They lived in organized family units inside hollowed-out trees or caves. Several gundark families often lived together as a tribe, working for their common survival. Gundark society was matriarchal, with the oldest and most cunning female ruling the tribe. Males built the tribal homes and defended them ferociously from all intruders, attacking anything that entered the vicinity of the nest (and even some things that did not). Female gundarks were usually hunter-gatherers, acquiring the food needed by the tribe and training the young gundarks who weren't old enough to go out on their own.



Gundarks were birthed live with black coats of fur, and were able to fight almost as soon as they left the womb. A gundark's hair lightened as it grew older and its ears began to enlarge until, at puberty, they reach the width of its head, hence the expression "strong enough to pull the ears off a gundark." A gundark was born with only two of its four adult arms, with the second pair emerging during adolescence. Gundarks had intense sibling rivalries that sometimes ended in fatalities. Young gundarks usually set out on their own after five standard years with their clan, fighting their way into a new clan whom they would then call family. This practice helped the gundarks keep a great deal of genetic diversity.

Gundarks usually hunted in groups when out for food or protecting the home. Male gundarks were particularly fierce while on the hunt, and female gundarks considered most sentient species to be their food.

Combat


In gladiatorial arenas, a gundark was one of the most dangerous and feared opponents. The gundark's short temper and thirst for blood meant that it would attack without provocation. A battle-scarred gundark was frequently the favored creature in most arena matches, even against opponents such as rancors or trompa. Because of a gundark's especially keen senses they were sometimes put into contests blinded or blindfolded to make the event "more sporting". Spectators would wait to see how long a less formidable creature could stay away from the gundark's lethal embrace. The fearsome and unpredictable nature of the four-armed beast encouraged trainers to handle it with extreme caution. Trainers would often use a force pike to control their gundark, or else assign it a special guard detail. Gundarks were often kept sedated during transport. Due to the cost of gundark containment measures, trainers rarely had more than one in their pool of gladiators.

Gundarks normally fought with bare hands and relied on their enormous four-armed strength to overcome opponents, but were also capable of using simple bludgeoning weapons. Gundarks were strong enough to smash bones with their hands. In the wild, they often ambushed opponents, hiding until their prey was within close range and taking the victim by surprise. If unarmed, a gundark would often try to grapple its foe in an attempt to crush it to death.

Saying that someone "looked strong enough to pull the ears off a gundark" meant that they were healthy and strong.

Namesakes
In addition to true gundarks, other species of carnivores were called gundarks by a young scientist named Kin Kimdyara, not because of physical resemblance but because of a similarly vicious, surly temperament. These species included the long-necked gundark of Kharzet III and the aquatic gundark of Yavin 4.



Subspecies
There are a few subspecies of gundark, including the aquatic gundark of Yavin 4, the swamp gundark of Dagobah and the Burskan gundark of Burska.

Behind the scenes
The New Essential Guide to Alien Species claims that aquatic gundarks are true gundarks and identical to normal gundarks save for having four eyes. However, this contradicts previous sources such as The Wildlife of Star Wars, as aquatic gundarks have multiple eyes, flippers, long tails, and no legs; furthermore, their bodies and heads are completely different.