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Dactillion
Designation	Nonsentient
Planet of origin	Utapau[1]
Height of average adult	6 meters[1]
Average wingspan	24 meters[1]

[Source]

The dactillion was a reptavian native to the sinkhole world of Utapau. An avian cousin of the speedy varactyl, the dactillion served as a mount for the native Pau'an and Utai population.

Characteristics

Dactillions shared both avian and lizard traits, with long, thin wings and thick, scaled hides. A dactillion's pair of wings allowed it to ride the thermal updrafts in a Utapau sinkhole, and its prominent limbs allowed it to scale the rocky side.

History

Two dactillions in a cave of Utapau.

Carnivorous predators, dactillions once plagued the Utapaun population, until they were tamed using fresh meat. Dactillions often flew into varactyl nests and ate the eggs or hatched young.^[2]

The stubby Utai served as wranglers for both dactillions and varactyl dragonmounts, keeping them in corrals in Pau City and elsewhere. Dactillions served as hardy war mounts for Pau'an warriors during the Battle of Utapau. When food supplies within a sinkhole are low or a dactillion is seeking a mate, they will fly to the surface.

The Utapauans learned about the weather patterns on their world by studying the dactillion population. They found that the species would fly out of sinkholes when the winds were low, so that is when it was safest for the people to build upon the surface of their planet.

Behind the scenes

The dactillion is most likely based on the prehistoric pterodactyls, also evidenced by its name.

Appearances

• Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (First appearance)
• Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption

Sources

• Revenge of the Sith: The Visual Dictionary
• The New Essential Guide to Alien Species
• Star Wars Miniatures: Bounty Hunters
•  Dactillion in the Databank
• The Clone Wars Campaign Guide
• The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia

Notes and References