Cannok Cannoks were small , aggressive predators native to the moon of Dxun . They were relatively harmless to Humans , but they had a habit of eating anything that could fit in their mouths . They were known as pests , due to a high reproduction rate and notable curiosity . Cannoks were hardy , able to survive the rigors of Dxun by traveling in large groups . Several cannoks were transported to Telos IV by the Ithorians of Citadel Station during the years following the Jedi Civil War to assist in the Telosian Restoration Project , restoring the world to its natural state after the damage done by Darth Malak . Biology and appearance . Cannoks were squat , bloated creatures with normally dull yellow - green hides that were characteristically bumpy and wrinkled . The creatures stood on four , broad , tridactyl feet , which ended in tough spatulate claws . They had short , stubby tails and a thick , bony ridge traveling down their back , from which thin , fleshy spines protruded . Their heads had an upward - facing jaw , connected low on the skull , and thin , sharp , needle - like teeth jutting from the lower jaw which protuded over their upper lip . Their eyes stood on short stalks and moved independently of one another . Behavior . Cannoks were ornery creatures who commonly formed packs or groups to hunt together ; these packs were usually formed of three or more cannoks , though single antagonists were not uncommon . The creatures were not easily frightened , and were unafraid of fire . They would not disturb large parties or settlements , though smaller groups were frequently attacked and it was not unheard of for able - bodied men to be killed by the beasts . When on the offensive , they usually bit their prey with their large , sharply - lined mouths or head - butted their victims . When undisturbed , cannoks tended to react along a set pattern . While walking in their slightly high - stepped gait , they commonly stopped and looked around by moving their eyestalks in a wiggling motion . Cannoks emitted only a husky kind of grunt . History . Cannoks , in existence since before 4000 BBY , were originally found on Dxun — the jungle moon of Onderon — where they were one of the high rungs on the food chain , beneath both the maalraas , boma and the zakkeg . Particularly tough cannoks could often scare away maalraas , but the zakkeg easily dined on the abundant creatures . They survived the Mandalorian Wars , and afterward , caused headaches for the Mandalorian outpost located on the moon . The Mandalorians killed all they came across , though the numbers of the quickly - reproducing species never seemed to diminish . This group thought of the creatures as " vermin " and unworthy of being killed by such skilled soldiers ; being assigned to clear out a herd of the beasts was seen as being the equivalent of punishment duty due to their minor difficulty . The omnivorous creatures also caused trouble by frequently eating anything and everything they could fit into their large mouths when no one was looking . This tendency was the most frustrating aspect of their behavior to most sentients — such as when three of them devoured components of a phase - pulse converter under construction by Zuka , a tech specialist . When the Jedi Exile arrived on the jungle moon in 3951 BBY , she slew and gutted many cannoks ' oversized stomachs in the vicinity of the encampment and recovered the converter ' s components for the Mandalorians in order to maintain their base of operations on Dxun , earning favor with their Mandalore , also known as Canderous Ordo . During the restoration of Telos IV , several cannoks were brought to the surface of Telos to balance the ecosystem , keeping the herbivore numbers in check so they did not destroy all of the remaining plant life . Cannoks were chosen for this task because of their ability to adapt , and because of their connections with Onderon , which was aiding in the restoration effort . However , the plan went awry , as the cannok population grew exponentially . They soon took over the ecosystem , consuming the herbivores and extingushing many native species permanently . This created a food shortage for them , and their still increasing population only worsened the issue , leaving them hungry as well as easily agitated . Behind the scenes . The cannoks first appeared in the of " " comics , but had only a minor place in the storyline . Ten years later , the cannoks returned in the computer video game " " , appearing on both the surface of Telos and the moon of Dxun , where more information on the beasts was revealed .