Womp rat / Legends The womp rat was a large , omnivorous rodent native to Tatooine . It was widely considered to be a pest . They were slightly larger than two meters in size . There were three species of womp rats : ones that lived in Beggar ' s Canyon , ones that lived in the Jundland Wastes , and swamp womp rat s . It was not unheard of for people to have domesticated womp rats as pets , but Luke Skywalker and his friends used to " bulls - eye " womp rats while flying T - 16 skyhoppers , for fun and target practice . Biology and appearance . While womp rats were opportunists and fond of carrion and refuse , they were also predators , though most of their prey were old , sick , or generally weak . Their normal prey included smaller animals , such as profogg s and Scurriers . Womp rats traveled in packs to overwhelm larger prey items , such as Dewbacks and Banthas . These packs consisted of up to 20 individuals . When they bite , their teeth set in and the animals will not release their hold , even if they are killed ; Owen Lars had seen a bantha with a desiccated womp rat skull still biting down on it . The Beggar ' s Canyon womp rat reproduced at an alarming rate . Once it reproduced to such a point that the population could not be kept in check , and womp rats were hunting Jawas and raiding storehouses . The Imperial prefect of Tatooine and the Affiliated Moisture Farmers then passed a bounty ordinance of ten credits per rat . Luke Skywalker and his friend Biggs Darklighter got enough womp rats to upgrade their T - 16 skyhoppers and have enough money for the Academy . With lengths of up to 3 meters , womp rats were vicious , mean mammals , and were often used for target practice . Some womp rats on Tatooine were prone to Gray Rot . Womp Rats were also very fast and stealthy . They could have had the ability to cloak themselves with the Force since Ki - Adi - Mundi and Aurra Sing both found out that they could barely sense them with the Force aiding them . Easy targets were sometimes called " sitting womp - rats " . In 32 BBY , as he led the Ghostling children to freedom through Mos Espa ' s subterranean sand drains , young Anakin Skywalker was attacked by a womp rat . Anakin knew its unmistakable growl from his time working in Watto the Toydarian ' s junkyard , knew that the foul creature could grow to be as big as a man and could carry off children and full - grown Jawas . But by using the same beamdrill that he employed to break his friends Kitster , Pala , Dorn and the Ghostling s out of their Mos Espa Grand Arena cells ( as they awaited their execution by Gardulla the Hutt ) , the fledgling hero was able to overpower the vermin . By setting the tool ' s plasma beam for a long , narrow ray , the beamdrill shot forth a searing white stream of superheated gas like a flamethrower , slicing the womp rat in two . Given its repugnant bestial qualities , it therefore may be somewhat surprising for some to learn that a popular flavor of soup on Tatooine was " Cream of Womprat soup " , often prepared by Beru Whitesun Lars . The Jundland Wastes womp rat appeared shortly after Imperials arrived on Tatooine , and some have speculated it was a mutated form of the Beggar ' s Canyon womp rat , affected by chemicals from Imperial waste dumps . Some of its mutations include a larger size , slower reproduction rate , and lower numbers than Beggar ' s Canyon womp rat . Their ears are also elongated and winglike . Another variety , the swamp womp rat , was found on a few fringe worlds as well as on Cularin . Behind the scenes . The Mutant Womprat appears in the game " Super Star Wars " as boss of Level 6 : Land of the Banthas , fought by Luke Skywalker . The creature was accompanied by several smaller Womp Rats . In the 2001 video game " , " the player must play a minigame in the training session where they strafe womp rats .