Chollas were a type of herd animal that grazed the plains of the planet Kal'Shebbol, which was located in the Kathol sector of the Outer Rim Territories. Approximately around 392 BBY, Twi'lek colonists, having fled from slavery, tamed the wild herds on their newly adopted homeworld. The Twi'leks were able to establish the foundations of their new civilization, in part, through ranching chollas, which they did alongside developing farms. By the time of 8 ABY, chollas could also be found inhabiting the adjacent world of Kolatill. On that planet, the raising of chollas and banthas was a significant economic activity; the hides and meat derived from chollas could be sold for a respectable amount of credits in the northern cities of Kolatill. These products were also shipped to the neighboring planets Gandle Ott and Torize.
The first mention of Chollas occurred in The DarkStryder Campaign, which West End Games released in 1995, within the informational briefs about the planets Kal'Shebbol and Kolatill. Whether the term chollas refers to a single animal or a group of them remains unclear. The source material refers to them as herds of chollas; however, this text avoids making any assumptions about the singular or plural nature of the name and simply uses the term as it appears in the original source.