Shaak/Legends

Shaaks were plump quadrupedal herd animals native to the grasslands of Naboo. Shaaks were often raised for their meat, and had large, rotund bodies. They had relatively weak legs, however, and were barely able to keep themselves upright.
==Characteristics==
The herbivorous shaak was a wandering animal, and was found in multiple regions of the planet. However, they tended to seek out dry areas, and avoided Naboo's numerous swamps since they were commonly not fond of damp surroundings. Shaaks were, however, naturally buoyant due to their fatty bodies, though their four short legs were of little use in the water. Their inability to escape from water meant that shaaks sometimes found themselves carried over waterfalls, though their fatty bodies ensured such falls did no serious damage.
Female shaaks had multiple wombs, allowing for a remarkable reproduction rate. In fact, females were continually pregnant, and their compartmentalized uterine system allowed them to be impregnated by several different males at the same time.The Wildlife of Star Wars: A Field Guide
Their intestines were also very sensitive to blockages caused by chemicals, to such an extent that they would eventually explode overtime if they were fed any food laced with these chemicals.
Natural predators included tusk-cats and greysors.
Shaaks were one of the few species that, if infected with the Blue Shadow Virus, would die instantly.
A similar species could be found on the planet Alzoc III, with longer fur to suit the frigid climate. To intimidate the local food commissioner, crime lord Tyber Zann killed several prize shaaks so that he would control most of Alzoc III's food market.Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption
==History==
Though prized for their meat by Naboo and Gungans alike, which could be easily stored and required little preparation before consumption, shaaks were seldom used as pack animals due to the fact that their abnormally large rumps made harnessing difficult, and rarely used as mounts due to their inherent instability, though some herders, such as the Gungan Peppi Bow, rode them with ease. They were also prized for their fluff.
An herd of Shaaks was scared by the Trade Federation of Planets' Multi-Troop Transport as they approched the Gungans during the Battle of Naboo.
During the Separatist Crisis in 22 BBY, Anakin Skywalker, who during that time had been acting as a bodyguard for Padmé Amidala after two near-assassinations against her, attempted to ride one of the Shaaks, although he briefly fell off, causing Padme some concern until it was revealed that he deliberately fell off as a joke.
During the Clone Wars, Peppi Bow's herd fell victim to a leak of the waterborne Blue Shadow Virus from Nuvo Vindi's laboratory. She lost six of her shaaks to the plague and almost fell victim herself.
In 1 ABY territorial disputes between shaak wranglers led some wrangling families to hire gangsters that added banned chemicals to the feed of rival shaak herds. The intestinal blockages created by these chemicals eventually caused the shaaks to explode. The Royal Advisory Council had to hire independent agents to eliminate the gangsters. on Naboo
==Behind the scenes==
The shaak was designed by Terryl Whitlatch to suggest a helpless grazer bred large for food, the Naboo equivalent of a sheep. They are seen briefly in one shot of The Phantom Menace as computer generated creations.
The shaak was the butt of many jokes among ILM digital artists during production of Attack of the Clones. The blooper reel on the DVD release includes a shot where a large, digital shaak takes the place of a core ship brought down by SPHA-T walkers. In an easter egg on the Attack of the Clones DVD, Yoda fires lightning from his palm and destroys a shaak. Shaaks also appear as "easter eggs" in several places in the film itself: floating in the Geonosis asteroid field and among flaming wreckage at the Battle of Geonosis.
==Appearances==
*Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds
*Darth Plagueis 
*
* 
* 
*Star Wars Episode I: The Gungan Frontier
*
*
*Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones 2
*The Clone Wars: The Valley
*
*Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Republic Heroes 
*Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption
* 
* 
===Non-canon appearances===
*Jedi Academy: The Phantom Bully
==Sources==
*Star Wars: Episode I Insider's Guide
* Star Wars: Episode I toy line
*Secrets of Naboo
*The Wildlife of Star Wars: A Field Guide
*
*
*Star Wars Chronicles: The Prequels
*Star Wars: Empire at War: Prima Official Game Guide
*Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption Expansion: Prima Official Game Guide
*The New Essential Guide to Alien Species
*The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
*The Art of Star Wars: The Clone Wars
*
*Star Wars: The Clone Wars Character Encyclopedia
*
*Far Horizons
==Notes and references==
Category:Creatures of Naboo
Category:Domesticated creatures
Category:Food creatures
Category:Grassland and plains creatures
Category:Herbivorous creatures
Category:Herd and pack creatures
Category:Mammals
Category:Non-sentient species