Tuk ' ata The Force - sensitive tuk ' ata , or Sith hounds , were used for thousands of years to guard the tombs of the Dark Lords of the Sith on Korriban . Biology and appearance . Sith hounds were oversized beasts that were bred to be both fearless and relentless where they were tasked with guarding the Sith tombs on Korriban . Their distinctive characteristics included sharp horns , long claws and savage teeth . Tuk ' ata were unusually intelligent and were even able to communicate with one another through means unknown . It was claimed that originally the species were non - violent grazing animals before being corrupted by Sith alchemy experiments that awakened latent parts of their brain which transformed them into unnatural abominations . On occasion , random mutations produce some tuk ' ata that were able to live for centuries and grew to immense proportions . Tuk ' ata nobilis : A pair of tuk ' ata tamed by the Jedi Beast Master Kanzhei Opli three centuries before the rise of the Galactic Empire and given to the Jedi Temple of Vaklin , they distinguished from the original pack for their Blue eyes in comparison with the dark - sided red eyes of a normal tuk ' ata . The only two specimens were killed by Darth Vader in 19 BBY . History . Considering that many were sealed inside the tombs themselves , some believe that they were immortal or drew nourishment from the Force itself , the latter part of which is likely true . It is also possible that they survived by feeding on small vermin or other creatures that infested the tombs as decay and time created new openings in the stone walls . They were fearless guardians and would kill anything that entered the tombs . While on Korriban , Exar Kun was forced to fight several hounds as a test . Revan managed to kill one and take a Sith holocron from its belly . There where also some tuk ' ata in Tulak Hord ' s tomb , where the tuk ' ata mother lived . By the time of the Cold War , the valley was flooding with new and more vicious races of tuk ' ata and many Sith both students and Lords , including Lord Renning , were interested in their biology which made them Force - sensitive . Darth Bane had to deal with them in the Valley of the Dark Lords on Korriban . Approximately a thousand years later , a Jedi strike team made up of Obi - Wan Kenobi , Siri Tachi , Soara Antana , Ry - Gaul , and their respective apprentices faced a pack of Tuk ' ata when entering the same mausoleum - lined Valley . Tol Skorr , the Dark Jedi servant of Count Dooku , would be injured by one that had grown to a monstrous size and would face it years later when he and Quinlan Vos attempted to raid a Sith tomb . Another large tuk ' ata was seen on Yavin 4 guarding a cave . It was confronted by the Solo children , Jacen , Jaina , and Anakin , along with Lowbacca , and Finn Galfridian . It was initially hostile , but retreated back into its cave after Jacen Solo helped heal it . When Luke Skywalker , Ben Skywalker , Jaina Solo , and Vestara Khai went to Korriban to search for the Lost Tribe of Sith they were attacked by a large group of tuk ' ata , but before they could attack Vestara communicated with them through the Sith language and told them not to attack . In 138 ABY Darth Nihl used the Force to bend an attacking tuk ' ata ' s will to his own , however it was shortly killed by Darth Talon . The tuk ' ata were at least semi - sentient , and could speak the Sith language . Behind the scenes . The tuk ' ata were first seen in " " but would go unnamed until the publication of Daniel Wallace ' s " The Essential Guide to Planets and Moons " .