Krayt dragon/Legends

The krayt dragon was a large carnivorous reptile native to Tatooine. A fierce hunter, the krayt dragon became an important part of indigenous cultures on Tatooine. The krayt dragon was thought by some xenobiologists to have descended from the Duinuogwuin (also known as Star Dragons). Although no substantial evidence was offered in support of a connection to the Duinuogwuin, the krayt dragon was a proven relative of the smaller kell dragon.

When the summer mating season began, the terrifying howls of krayt dragons filled the canyons of Tatooine. The collection of frenzied, mating beasts scared even the mightiest Sandpeople away. Obi-Wan Kenobi mimicked a krayt dragon mating call when he scared the raiders away from Luke Skywalker.

Characteristics & Subspecies
The krayt dragon had a set of sharp teeth used for capturing prey, but relied on ingesting stones to grind the food through a series of gizzards into a digestible state. Food would be crushed by the stones tumbled in the gizzards by stomach muscles, grinding food into pulp and turning boulders into smooth stones. The resulting stones, known as dragon pearls, were a valuable commodity amongst jewelers.

The canyon krayt was a common subspecies of krayt dragon that lived in the rocky caves and canyons of Tatooine's desert ranges. At ten meters in height and thirty meters in length, the canyon krayt represented the smallest of the krayt subspecies. An evolved hunter, the four-legged canyon krayt possessed a yellow-brown camouflage skin pattern, a five-horned crown ridge and a spike-studded tail. The greater krayt, left, was a rarer, larger subspecies of krayt dragon, known for its tremendous size and continual growth over time. Creatures of near legendary status, greater krayt dragons had ten legs, measured at least 100 meters from snout to tail tip and had the ability to move through or on Tatooine's desert sand. "Unlike its canyon cousin, the greater krayt attacks with its massive jaws or whiplike spike-tail; its claws have evolved for locomotion."

Krayts in Tatooine Culture
The Sandpeople of Tatooine revered the krayt dragon as a powerful hunter and centered their primary maturity ritual on it. Adolescent males were abandoned in the Tatooine dune and only accepted back into their tribes as adults when they had slayed a krayt dragon. Both the Sandpeople and Jawas placed the krayt dragon in the position of a powerful spirit, and believed that their bones possessed magic. Jawas brave enough to risk the acquisition of krayt dragon bones were held in high regard amongst their people.