Shani had the ability to open their mouths extremely wide, and had sharp teeth and pointy tongues. It was a well known rumor that they were able to swallow sentients whole, a rumor that proved to be true when Deva Lompop ate Jarm Brock alive, armor and all, only leaving the head. Shani hatched from eggs, and devoured their nest-mates shortly after hatching. Shani were capable of healing quickly; despite having half of her face and body charred by a flamethrower from her rival Boba Fett, Deva Lompop was healed and without blemish by the time she met him again. Shani possessed long lifespans; Deva Lompop had been in the service of Jabba The Hutt for centuries. Considered physically attractive, Shani were capable of copulating with humanoid species despite being reptilian, though some Shani, such as Deva Lompop, had a habit of killing and eating their exes.
One prominent Shani was the bounty hunter Deva Lompop, who lived from the High Republic Era through to the Imperial Era. Another was the scientist Glenna Kip, whose career spanned from the High Republic Era to the First Order-Resistance War, and the Corellian singer Crukibolt Nart Adeen, known as Crufeela. She was notorious for her penchant for eating creatures from endangered species.
The Shani first appeared in the 2019 junior novel Spark of the Resistance, written by Justina Ireland and illustrated by Phil Noto for the Journey to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker publishing program, with the character of Professor Glenna Kip. The species was not identified, however, until a StarWars.com article published on June 24, 2021, introducing bounty hunter Deva Lompop and previewing her appearances in the Star Wars: War of the Bounty Hunters comic event. Ireland's 2022 Star Wars: The High Republic junior novel Mission to Disaster subsequently confirmed that Kip was Shani.
- Star Wars: The Secrets of the Bounty Hunters