krayt dragon

• Appeared in:
  
  I
  II
  III
  IV
  V
  VI
  CW

• Homeworld:
  Tatooine

• Size:
  10 meters (canyon dragon)

• Diet:
  carnivore

• 

From the Movies

Making the Jundland Wastes all the more dangerous are immense reptiles stalking the craggy canyons in search of prey. These huge predators are known as krayt dragons and their bone-chilling howl is enough to send even ferocious Sand People skittering for cover.

From the Expanded Universe

The name krayt dragon encompasses a number of subspecies, all of them horrific. The canyon dragon is a 10-meter tall example of the desert reptile, its body stretching out to 30 meters when full grown. Krayt dragons grow throughout their lifespan, becoming increasingly stronger with age. Its head is crested with five tapering horns, and its face is armored with dermal bone plates.

The height of summer is mating season for the krayt dragon, and the canyons echo with terrifying howls. Even fierce Tusken Raiders flee at this sound, as frenzied dragons have been known to unleash terrible destruction and carnage.

The Tusken Raiders have an awe-filled reverence for the krayt dragons, respecting the beast's ferocity and killing power. One reported rite of passage for Tusken youngsters is the hunting of a krayt dragon, though tales of success are rare.

Krayt dragons have gizzards to aide in their intake of food. These gizzards are sometimes home to neatly polished precious stones that some call Krayt dragon pearl. The beauty of these stones, coupled with the extreme danger faced when trying to harvest them, have caused Krayt dragon eggs to be worth a fortune.

While the canyon dragon is an impressive sight, it is dwarfed by the greater krayt dragon, a desert titan found amongst the endless dunes. The greater dragon actually submerges itself in the shifting sands, and can use its ten powerful limbs to swim through the dunes.

Some xenobiologists postulate that the krayt dragons are the degenerate descendents of the fabled Duinuogwuin Star Dragons. Another relative of the beasts is the stockier kell dragon.

Behind the Scenes

Although a krayt dragon does not appear in A New Hope, its bleach-white skeleton does appear during Threepio's trek across the Dune Sea. These sauropod bones were made of Fiberglas, and left in the Tunisian desert after production wrapped. Incredibly, the skeleton remained untouched for almost two decades, when archeologist and Star Wars Insider contributor Dr. David West Reynolds revisited the Tunisian location in 1995 and found the bones.

Some sources, however, indicate that these bones belong to a "sand worm," and not of a krayt dragon. Xenobiologists are currently unavailable for comment.