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Bantha

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huge, elephant-like beasts with curving tusks, banthas were found on a great number of worlds with vastly different climates. The bantha was as much at home being used as transport by the Tusken Raiders on Tatooine as it was on grassy plains and frozen tundra. The bantha was domesticated on most of these worlds, and was used for pulling heavy loads, transportation, and even as war beasts. The meat and hide of the bantha were much sought-after. While the origins of the Bantha were unknown, every world on which is existed laid claim to being its homeworld. Most banthas bred in captivity were trained as beasts of burden, and most of those were bred for desert environments. It was believed that the bantha was originally native to Tatooine, as there was a wealth of fossil evidence of banthas existing during an era which predated most modern civilizations. There were at least three distinct subspecies found on the planet Tatooine: the common bantha, the dwarf bantha, and the dune bantha. Banthas used their dextrous, sensitive tongue as a sort of hand, pulling up grass and shrubs from the ground. Also located on the tongue were breathing and scenting spiracles, which allowed the bantha to determine an object without stooping or reachint awkwardly. Male banthas raised their tongue as a way to singal their readiness to mate. The distinctive horns of the bantha grew at the rate of a knob each year. Thickness and condition of the horns were indicators of the bantha's health and environment. Most female banthas achieved just a single spiral during their lifetimes, while a male may achieve two full spirals. Because of this spiraling, and because banthas butted heads in ritual combat, a pair could become entangled each other's horns. This almost always meant death for both banthas. Banthas traveled in herds of up to twenty-five individuals, led by the oldest, strongest female. A herd which grew too large was split, with the second oldest and strongest female taking the new herd. The average bantha could live more than eighty years. The banthas of Tatooine were known to form deep bonds with the Tusken Raiders of the planet, and often committed suicide if their riders were to die first. Banthas which died naturally were placed in vast graveyards, which held a kind of ceremonial reverence with the banthas.