Narglatch

This article is about the predator. You may be looking for the airspeeder manufacturer Narglatch AirTech.

Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope.

This article is in need of referencing per Wookieepedia's sourcing guidelines.

This article needs appropriate citations. Help us improve this article by referencing valid resource material. Remove this notice when finished.

"Those narglatches aren't something I like messing with."

―A commoner, to a spacer^[4]

The narglatch, also known as narglatch cat,^[5] was a stealthy apex predator which could be found in diverse environments, such as the Gungan swamps of Naboo or the frozen tundras of Orto Plutonia.

Biology[]

"Whenever narglatches come together and start settling down, they only pick a place that's rich in resources."

―A commoner, to a spacer^[4]

The narglatch male had additional fleshy spikes, while females were smoother and slightly smaller. They both had non-retractable claws and a fan-like tail that acted as a rudder during high-speed chases and turns. The narglatch also had densely padded feet that made for silent footfalls.^[2]

NarglatchCubs-woswfg — Narglatch cubs hunt clodhoppers.

Males and females only commingled during mating season. Females were more fierce hunters than males, but males could chase a female from her kill. A pregnant narglatch always gave birth to twins, one of each sex. Since young narglatch could hunt immediately upon birth, mothers abandoned them. Cubs hunted together until maturity, making themselves less vulnerable to such fellow predatory Naboo creatures, as saw-toothed granks and veermoks.^[2] When food was scarce,^[1] male narglatches would eat young cubs,^[2] so the cubs must ever remain vigilant.^[1] As they approached maturity, the cubs separated.^[2] Older males had longer chin quills.^[6]

A solitary hunter, narglatch silently stalked and quickly killed its prey, usually muudaboks, kaadu or jimvu. Narglatch generally avoided deep water, although they were capable swimmers should the need arise. One of the few creatures they actively avoided were zalaacas.^[2] The younger narglatch cubs preyed on herbivores, swamp and forest-dwellers like ikopi, while adults could take down bigger prey like fambaa. The female narglatch was faster, more agile and the more proficient hunter compared to her male counterpart, able to stalk prey over both land and in water.^[1] They had a remarkable sense of smell that allowed it to track its prey, and formidable night vision.^[7]

History[]

"Whoohoo…barely made it out of that one today. I found a whole colony of narglatches nestled up in a cave a ways out. To think I was about to walk right inside and rest for a bit. If you've got nothing left to live for, I can tell you where to find them."

―A commoner, to a spacer^[4]

Talz on narglatch mounts — Thi-Sen and the Talz colony prepare for war astride narglatches.

Found on a number of different worlds,^[6] on the frozen world of Orto Plutonia the narglatch were used as mounts by the primitive Talz.^[8] They were regarded as near-sacred by the Talz,^[6] who ride the great cats into battle^[8] and use their bones, meat, and hides for food, shelter, and offerings to the spirits of the ice. Without them, the Talz would barely survive themselves.^[6]

On Naboo, the Gungans would ride the sure-footed beasts across their planet and into battle. Though strong and fierce, the narglatch could easily be felled by blaster fire. The Orto Plutonian variety of narglatch^[8] was differentiated from the Naboo^[2] by a mane of fleshy tendrils or protrusions.^[8]

Cubs were frequently seen as cute and taken as pets, but became very dangerous as they matured. Escaped narglatches were a threat on Coruscant.^[2]

At least a narglatch was hunted and killed by Garnac's hunting guild. Its pelt was later placed in their Ubrikkian Floating Fortress.^[9]

After the Battle of Yavin, packs of narglatches lived in the Naboo Crystal Cave^[10] and in the Narglatch Cave.^[11] During that time, the criminals known as the Mountain Poachers used trained narglatches.^[12] In 1 ABY,^[13] the hunter Walker Luskeske asked a spacer to kill narglatches in the Gallo Mountains on Naboo and bring him fangs as trophies.^[14] In the meantime, a shuttle crashed in the Gallo Mountains. Tanoa Vills requested a spacer to eliminate rabid narglatches, including Grizzlefur, that gathered at the crash site in order to salvage research equipment.^[15]

Behind the scenes[]

The narglatch design was first illustrated by concept artist Terryl Whitlatch as a possible creature found on Naboo. Based on her artwork,^[1] the narglatch creature was defined as a Naboo native in the video game The Gungan Frontier^[16] and in the art book The Wildlife of Star Wars: A Field Guide.^[2] The narglatch was described in terms similar to large cat predators in our world.^[1]