Gorgodon Gorgodons were a species of large , furry , non - sentient reptile that lived on the snow - covered world of Ilum . They possessed blaster - proof hide , a strong bone structure , and three rows of sharp teeth , all of which made them dangerous foes in combat . Gorgodons had excellent senses of smell and hearing , which they relied upon due to poor vision . Despite being able to survive on eating just plants , gorgodons spent most of their time hunting live prey in groups , preferring to kill it by suffocating or crushing it with an embrace . Members of the species lived in camouflaged nests of shelter , which they held together with their saliva . Gorgodons sometimes encountered members of the Jedi Order , who traveled to Ilum to find crystals with which to build their lightsabers in the Crystal Caves . Jedi Master Obi - Wan Kenobi and his Padawan , Anakin Skywalker , fought a group of gorgodons outside the Crystal Caves when they traveled to the creatures ' homeworld in the year 28 BBY , as did the ex - Jedi Ferus Olin around the year 18 BBY . The gorgodons that fought Olin were later killed by stormtroopers of the Galactic Empire . Biology and appearance . Gorgodons were a non - sentient species of hulking reptilian predators that were native to the icy world of Ilum . Large in size , their backs and forearms were partially covered in gray fur . The rest of their bodies were covered with gray hide thick enough to prevent blasters from killing them , except for the head , which was yellow in color . The face of a gorgodon consisted of two yellow eyes with pupils , four nostrils , and a mouth filled with three rows of yellow teeth . Due to poor eyesight , the predators relied mostly on their hearing and sense of smell to locate prey or other food — which could include vegetation or carrion , as the species was omnivorous . Gorgodons had a bipedal stance , with a tail and four limbs , standing on their hind limbs and using their forelimbs for attack , although they could also walk on all fours . Each limb ended in a paw that could be equal in size to a gravsled and included several sharp claws . The creatures had incredibly strong bone structures that were covered by thick layers of muscle and fat , making them fairly resistant to blunt force attack , though they had a soft , vulnerable point on the back of the neck . Striking this weak point was the only way to kill the beasts , as doing so would sever their spine and paralyze them . Their large size provided them with power when striking against their prey but also made them clumsy and at times slow . Members of the species were capable of producing a thick , brown , rubber y saliva , which they used in the construction of their nests . Behavior . Gorgodons were most commonly found on the lowland areas of their homeworld of Ilum , where they survived on a diet of lichen , scrubs , and carrion , although it was not uncommon for them to venture into the planet ' s mountainous regions . They did , however , most commonly hunt live prey , traveling together in family groups of four to eight and using their senses of smell and hearing to locate other animals . When they attacked , they snapped their jaws and rolled their eyes , usually killing their prey by crushing or suffocating them in a hugging motion with their huge forelimbs , although they could use their claws , teeth , and tails to injure their opponents as well . When they attacked or were injured , the creatures would roar or howl loudly , and if one of their number was killed , a pack would retreat upon picking up the scent of their fellow ' s death . Gorgodons could also use their claws for climbing the frosted cliffs and mountains of Ilum , at which they were extremely skilled . Gorgodons constructed nests with shelters inside using boulders , sheets of ice , and snow as well as their saliva , which acted like mortar and held the structures together . The shelters were about fifty meters in height and were similar in appearance to a hunched gorgodon ' s back . The nests could be camouflaged to blend into the surrounding environment , mimicking the steep slopes of the mountains on which they were built . History . In the year 22 , 800 BBY , the planet Ilum was discovered by members of the Jedi Order , who found an abundance of crystals in the world ' s Crystal Caves . The crystals , as it turned out , could be used to make lightsabers . As such , the Order made journeying to Ilum to find such a crystal part of the ceremony that almost all Jedi underwent on their way to Knighthood . As natives of Ilum , gorgodons occasionally encountered Jedi who were on such quests , often leading to the beasts attacking the Force - sensitives . Jedi Master Qui - Gon Jinn , who was active during the final decades of the Galactic Republic , left a note warning future students of the danger of gorgodons in his copy of the book " " . Jinn later passed down the book to his Padawan , Obi - Wan Kenobi , who also left a message of his own regarding the gorgodons . In the year 28 BBY , Kenobi traveled with his Padawan , Anakin Skywalker , to Ilum to help him find a crystal for his lightsaber . The pair encountered a group of sleeping gorgodons in front of the entrance to the Crystal Caves , and their scent woke the beasts , causing the group to attack the two Jedi . One gorgodon managed to grab Kenobi and attempted to crush him . Skywalker saved his Master by stabbing the predator in the vulnerable point at the back of its neck , killing it and causing the rest of the group to flee by climbing further up the mountain . Skywalker later claimed to have killed three gorgodons on Ilum in a note he left in his copy of " The Jedi Path " , which Kenobi had given him . When Skywalker ' s apprentice , Ahsoka Tano , inherited the book , she added a note claiming that gorgodons were simply hungry and could be avoided if they were given rations instead of attacked . Later , in about 18 BBY , after being warned about the gorgodons by Kenobi , the former Jedi Ferus Olin traveled to Ilum , hoping to craft a lightsaber and find the Jedi Master Garen Muln . He sought to enter the Crystal Caves through a secret entrance at the back of a gorgodon nest , which he located despite it being camouflaged . After trying and failing to sneak past the sleeping gorgodons in the nest , Olin attempted to flee from them , but one of the group caught him and beat him around . The former Jedi eventually managed to paralyze the gorgodon by driving a vibroblade into its vulnerable spot , which allowed him to escape . The gorgodons ' nest was later burned and destroyed by stormtroopers of the Galactic Empire , who used flamethrowers and flechette launcher s to open fire on the nests in an attempt to prevent Olin leaving through the secret entrance . The gorgodons fought back but were quickly defeated and killed . Behind the scenes . Gorgodons first appeared in 2001 in " " , a novel written by Jude Watson as part of the " Jedi Quest " series . The events of the book , including Skywalker ' s encounter with the gorgodons , were later referenced in the 2002 novel " " , which provided a summary of what had happened to Skywalker between and . The book also provided the first illustrations of the species , drawn by artist Tommy Lee Edwards . The species was then given statistics for Wizards of the Coast ' s " Star Wars Roleplaying Game " in the 2004 sourcebook " Ultimate Adversaries " , which included an illustration by Andrew Jones .