Tibannucks appeared to be primitive and inane, but their outward appearance belied their intelligence. They had four lungs, which were separated into two sections each—the first took in the gasses they ingested, while the second section spread them throughout the body. The Tibannuck head featured a snout, blue eyes, and a purple patch at the crown. Each member of the species also had a tail, as well as two limbs that ended in long, webbed digits. The webbing could be extended or contracted, depending on the movement of the fingers. Tibannucks were capable of flight, and they were red-skinned. Their long necks were marked on either side with large knob-like protrusions, and featured a green tuft at the base of the head. The Tibannuck's limbs were marked with purple and red tufts, and ended with long, brown digits that could be splayed into membranous wings. Toward the tail, the Tibannuck featured two blue and green protrusions on either side of the body. Their tails were not unlike their necks, insofar as they also featured a series of knob-like protrusions on either side.
While dwelling on Bespin, the Tibannucks sometimes found themselves in the middle of mining operations run from the major floating settlement, Cloud City. As such, they were often caught and killed. The Tibannuck queen mother was a particularly desirable target, and a 2,000 reward was offered in the event of her death. However, Lando Calrissian ended the bounties on tibannuck kills, but the Galactic Empire refused to recognize those creatures as sentient despite evidences from a sentientologist. They were a menace for pilots during the Cloud City Grand Prix as the race crossed a region that was part of the feeding grounds of the tibannucks.
Nathaniel Gabor created the Tibannuck species through Star Wars Galaxy magazine's "Design An Alien" competition. Gabor, aged fourteen at the time, submitted his entry after the competition was launched in Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 3 (1995). When the winners were published in Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 7 (1996), Gabor's entry came third in the "Under 16 years old" division, after the entries for Jeigh Esse and the Critokian. Continuity editor Leland Chee later stated that the published "Design an Alien" material was to be considered canon.