Dewback

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A CGI dewback from A New Hope.

Dewbacks are fictional creatures in the science fiction saga Star Wars. They are large omnivorous lizards native to Tatooine. The majority of dewbacks had green scales, but some variation existed in the form of red, brown, grey, and the occasional blue colored lizard. They were most often used by the native miners and moisture farmers as beasts of burden and transport. The average person on Tatooine often saw this reptile dragging podracers up to the starting line of the track or trucking around heavy goods and machinery for moisture farmers. Sandpeople also often employed dewback hides for the creation of various clothing and survival items. During the reign of the Galactic Empire, sandtrooper squadrons commandeered the dewback for use as a mode of transport around the hot Jundland Wastes. This movement was necessitated by the systematic breakdown of advanced repulsorlift vehicles in the abundant sand and grime.

As the twin suns of Tatooine beat down on them, the dewbacks would forage for the hardy shrubs and tiny animals that were hidden in pockets of arable land far out into the desert. After the suns set and the desert became freezing, the dewback would hunker down in a cave for the night, too lethargic to look for any more food.

The dewback was a very solitary animal that usually kept to itself and avoided others of its kind - except for once a year, when enormous herds would gather out in the Jundland Wastes for complex mating rituals. In fact, these rituals were so well ingrained in the psyches of the dewbacks that none in captivity could ever be forced to mate. The eggs that the females released were left in the desert, abandoned by their parents. After about six standard months, they would hatch. Baby dewbacks were totally independent, and most would not survive the harsh extremes of temperature that the desert could wreak.