Mythosaur Mythosaurs were a species of animal native to the Outer Rim world of Mandalore . Enormous in size , the mythosaurs dominated their world until the arrival of the Mandalorian Taung , led by the warrior known as Mandalore the First . In a campaign to conquer the world for their own , Mandalore the First and his crusaders slaughtered the gigantic beasts and drove them to extinction . The skull of the mythosaur became the symbol of the " Mand ' alor " — the traditional ruler of all the Mandalorian clans — the planet Mandalore , and of the Mandalorians themselves for generations after . Biology and appearance . Perhaps the most notable feature of the mythosaur was its sheer size , so enormous that accounts estimated the creatures to be on par with the scale of a small city . Four powerful legs supported what was surely an impressive weight , for a being of similar size to that of a city . Some manner of sexual dimorphism was evident between the skulls of male and female mythosaurs , but in general , the skull of a mythosaur featured large , downturned horns that curved inward toward the creature ' s jaw , slanted eye sockets , and a mouth that contained a number of long teeth . Mythosaurs also possessed a sternum composed of rigid bone , that was located over their heart . History . Fall of the mythosaur . The Mythosaurs were native to a planet in the Outer Rim uninhabited by any sentient species , and thus their great size afforded them dominion over the other creatures who made the world their home . The mythosaurs roamed the planet ' s surface unopposed until the day when the Taung arrived on the world around the year 7000 BBY . Immigrating from the planet of Roon and led by the warrior known as Mandalore the First , the Taung sought to colonize the mythosaur ' s world as their own . Mandalore the First led a campaign against the giant Mythosaurs , his warriors slaughtering the native beasts using swords and axe s as a test of their skills , until they finally drove the creatures to extinction . The Taung then assumed the name " Mandalorians " — or " Mando ' ade " in the Mandalorian language of " Mando ' a " , meaning " Children of Mandalore " — and renamed the conquered world Mandalore in honor of their leader . Legacy . Though extinct , the mythosaur lived on as a legendary figure in Mandalorian mythology . The calcified bones of mythosaurs were used by the ancient Mandalorians to construct deadly weapons like the mythosaur axe , which used sharpened plates of bone arranged in a fan shape atop an elongated pole grip . Often considered a ceremonial weapon , mythosaur axes were nonetheless used by Mandalorian Crusaders and other veteran warriors in combat for thousands of years . The skull of the mythosaur became a symbol of the planet Mandalore and its people , none more so than the " Mand ' alor " — the traditional ruler of the Mandalorian clans . The rigid bone of a mythosaur ' s sternum was taken from over one the slain creature ' s hearts , and carved into a ceremonial mask for Mandalore the First . The mask was later passed down for generations , worn by each succeeding claimant to the title of " Mand ' alor " . The veteran Mandalorian soldier Canderous Ordo was the last known leader to wear the mythosaur - bone mask , during his reign as " Mandalore the Preserver . " Even after the use of the ceremonial mask had fallen out of practice , Mandalorians referred to the metaphorical " crown " held by the reigning " Mand ' alor " as the " kyr ' bes " , or mythosaur skull . The image of a mythosaur skull was taken as the sigil of the ancient Mandalorian Keldau clan , renowned for its combat trainers , and combined with the insignia of the Mandalorian Crusaders to form the symbol of the later Neo - Crusaders . The Mandalorian starship company known as MandalMotors also used the skull of the mythosaur as the corporation ' s logo . In time , the mythosaur skull became a common sigil in Mandalorian society , used to decorate Mandalorian armor and equipment , and even adopted by some as a tattoo . In the final weeks of the Galactic Republic and the early days of its replacement , the Galactic Empire , an enterprising Mandalorian sought to attract adventure tourists to Mandalore to raise a profit . To accomplish his goal , he constructed a large replica of a giant mythosaur skeleton — although its accuracy to scale was debated — on the southern outskirts of Mandalore ' s capital city , Keldabe . The Mandalorian ' s theme park ultimately never opened , though he , his brother Hayar , and friend Jarkyc , were able to sell the defunct tourist site to the Imperial garrison that had come to establish a base on Mandalore . The so - called " City of Bone " remained on Mandalore for nearly twenty years , becoming the headquarters of the Imperial slaver , the Suprema , during the Imperial occupation of Mandalore , before being destroyed by Fenn Shysa ' s Mandalorian Protectors . Behind the scenes . Mythosaurs first appeared in the Marvel " Star Wars " comic , " " , and numerous sources have featured the mythosaurs and provided information since . However , prior to 2013 , mythosaurs had never appeared alive in " Star Wars " , only as skeletons or symbols , primarily as the sigil of the Mandalorian people . That year , with the release of " " — co - author ed by Daniel Wallace , Jason Fry , and Ryder Windham — came the first depiction of a living mythosaur .