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- "Be careful. They're very poisonous."
- ―Jango Fett
Kouhuns were small, multi-legged arthropods from the jungle planet of Indoumodo that were able to deliver a deadly venom to their victims. As their venom was typically lethal, they were sometimes employed by assassins to kill their targets.
Biology and appearance[]
Kouhuns were arthropods[1] that hailed from the jungle planet of Indoumodo, although they were adaptable enough to thrive on almost any world.[3] They worked as pack hunters, moving silently and using body heat to track their prey, which they disabled with a single sting.[4] Able to grow to a length of thirty centimeters, the kouhun had a segmented carapace and stingers on the front and rear of its body used to deliver venom produced by specialized glands within its body. Their venom was highly potent and particularly effective against humanoid species.[3]
Once injected, the venom was typically fatal within minutes.[1] They crawled on 56 legs[5] and could slink their way across almost any surface.[3] Kouhuns were known for their ability to evade security. They could be used in assassination attempts and were starved before release. After their release, they typically headed straight for warm-blooded life forms. It was virtually impossible to trace them back to the user.[6] They also seemed to show some degree of intelligence, as when R2-D2 scanned Senator Amidala's bedroom, one kouhun hid under the bed and another hid in a space where it could not be discovered.
History[]
Kouhuns were native to the swamps of the planet Indoumodo, which was located in Wild Space. They hunted creatures as big as dogs.[5]
Kouhuns in the galaxy[]

The two kouhuns that were used in the assassination attempt on Senator Padmé Amidala
Bounty hunter Zam Wesell used a pair of kouhuns in her second attempt to assassinate Senator Padmé Amidala while on Coruscant. The creatures were given to her by her colleague Jango Fett, who felt that a more subtle approach would succeed in finally killing the senator. The creatures were loaded into a ASN courier droid, which flew to Amidala's apartment, cut through her bedroom window and quietly released the pair of deadly creatures into her room. The kouhuns fell onto the floor and started making their way to the sleeping Amidala's bed. When R2-D2, who was in the senator's room guarding her, detected something and turned on his lights to scan the room, the kouhuns froze. Once the droid went dark, they crawled up to where the senator slept. Anakin Skywalker, who was in the next room, perceived through the Force that Amidala was in deadly peril. He rushed into Amidala's chamber and deftly sliced the creatures in half with a couple swings of his lightsaber.[2]
Behind the scenes[]
The sound of kouhuns was partially made from squishing the inside of a grapefruit.[5]
Appearances[]
- Star Wars Journeys: Beginnings
- Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones (First appearance)
- "The Man Who Built Cloud City"—From a Certain Point of View: The Empire Strikes Back (Indirect mention only)
- Star Wars: Uprising (Mentioned only)
- Star Wars: Squadrons (In carbonite)
Non-canon appearances[]
Sources[]
Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones Story Gallery on StarWars.com (backup link); image #6 of 35 (First identified as kouhun)
Star Wars: Card Trader (Card: Zam Wesell - Bounty Hunter - Base Series 1) (Indirect mention only)
- Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know
- Ultimate Star Wars
- Star Wars: The Force Awakens: The Visual Dictionary
- Star Wars: Galactic Atlas
Star Wars Helmet Collection 21 (Weapons & Uniforms: Maz Kanata's Castle)
Star Wars Helmet Collection 26 (Databank A-Z: Imperial Future Council–Inquisitorius)
- Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia
- Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know, Updated and Expanded
- Star Wars: Geektionary: The Galaxy from A - Z
Star Wars Helmet Collection 33 (Databank A-Z: Admiral Kilian–Kowakian)
Star Wars Helmet Collection 39 (Helmets: Zam Wesell)
- Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary, New Edition
- Star Wars: Alien Archive
- Star Wars: Scum and Villainy: Case Files on the Galaxy's Most Notorious
Star Wars Helmet Collection 71 (Databank A-Z: Zam Wesell–Wexley)
- Collapse of the Republic
- Star Wars: How Not to Get Eaten by Ewoks and Other Galactic Survival Skills
Every Creature in the Star Wars Movies | Star Wars By the Numbers on the official Star Wars Kids YouTube channel (backup link)
- Star Wars: The Galactic Explorer's Guide
"R2-D2" – Star Wars Encyclopedia
"Anakin Skywalker" – Star Wars Encyclopedia
7 Creepy Star Wars Creatures | Star Wars: List It! on the official Star Wars Kids YouTube channel (backup link)
Memory Lane | Obi-Wan Kenobi | Disney+ on the official Star Wars YouTube channel (backup link)
Kouhun in the Databank (backup link)
Padmé Amidala in the Databank (backup link)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Ultimate Star Wars
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3
Kouhun in the Databank (backup link)
- ↑ Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know
- ↑ Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary, New Edition