Tibidon sand whale

Tibidon sand whales, or just sand whales, were a relative of the tibidee that was native to the desert planet Tatooine. Measuring three hundred meters in length, the sand whales used their pectoral fins and a tail fluke to propel themselves through either sand or air. In 9 ABY, the sand whaling station Tibidon Station was set up to harvest meat from the corpse of a tibidon sand whale on Tatooine.
==Biology and appearance==
Tibidon sand whales, also known as just sand whales, were a huge non-sentient species that were three hundred meters in length and weighted over four thousand kilograms. They had flat bodies with a head at one end consisting of a mouth and two eyes, and a tail fluke at the other. The creatures had ten wing-like, pectoral fins, five on each ribcage, which they used in combination with their tail to propel themselves through either sand or air. They were relatives of the smaller tibidee.
==History==
In 9 BBY, the gray carcass of a tibidon sand whale was partially submerged in the desert of Tatooine, the sand whales' home planet. A sand whaling station called Tibidon Station was established to harvest the meat from the carcass, with foreman Groff Ditcher overseeing workers like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padu Cherd as they cut up the meat. Galactic Society of Creature Enthusiasts Director of Creature Cartography Ardis San Tekka wrote an entry on tibidon sand whales in her journal at some point after the Battle of Exegol in 35 ABY.Star Wars Bestiary, Vol. 1: Creatures of the Galaxy describes the clone of Darth Sidious as having perished prior to its writing. As Star Wars: Timelines dates the clone's death at the Battle of Exegol to 35 ABY, it must take place after this date.
==Behind the scenes==
A tibidon sand whale appeared in the first episode of the Obi-Wan Kenobi television series, which aired on May 27, 2022. The design for the creature was repurposed from a Ralph McQuarrie sketch exploring the concept of a flying whale for the 1980 film Star Wars: Episode V The Empire Strikes Back.
The creature was not named in the episode, although the audio description did state that the station set up next to it was a sand whaling station. The show's sixth episode, released on June 22, 2022, then identified the creature as a sand whale in its audio description. The full name of tibidon sand whale was then provided in the guide for the episode on StarWars.com.
==Appearances==
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*Obi-Wan Kenobi 1 
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==Sources==
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*Obi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi's Return
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*Star Wars Bestiary, Vol. 1: Creatures of the Galaxy
*Star Wars Encyclopedia: The Comprehensive Guide to the Star Wars Galaxy
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==Notes and references==
Category:Creatures of Tatooine
Category:Creatures of unspecified biology
Category:Creatures of unspecified diet
Category:Non-sentient species
Category:Whales