Long-necked gundark
Long-necked gundarks were large, quadruped animals with long necks and long tongues which they would use to catch their prey. Princess Leia Organa and C-3PO encountered gundarks on Kharzet III, a jungle planet, while they were scouting for a location for the new Rebel base shortly after the Battle of Hoth.
Despite its name, the creature was not related to the true gundark. A young scientist named Kin Kimdyara gave the species its nickname due to its vicious temperament, rather than its physiology. However, he died before he could properly name this creature, so the name "long-necked gundark" stuck.
Behind the scenes
These creatures were called simply "gundarks" when they appeared in Star Wars (1977) 51, and were apparently intended to be the gundarks mentioned in The Empire Strikes Back.[source?] However, other gundarks were later introduced into the Expanded Universe, and these creatures were retconned into "long-necked gundarks."
Appearances
- Star Wars (1977) 51 (First appearance)