The planet of Utapau was the homeworld of the Ginnthos, sizable spiders that were carnivorous and non-sentient. These creatures dwelled in the shadowy caverns of the world's sinkholes. They possessed the capability to produce resilient silk, which served as a tool for ensnaring prey before they consumed it. Pau'ans domesticated Ginnthos, sometimes housing them in stables to control pests. No earlier than 379 BBY, the Evereni individual Velya Faer likened the pirate leader Marda Ro of the Evereni to a ginntho positioned at the heart of a web, a detail Ro included in a message intended for her descendants. During 19 BBY, ginnthos located in Pau City, the capital of Utapau, were utilized in the battle against battle droids of the Confederacy of Independent Systems.
Hailing from the Outer Rim Territories planet of Utapau, Ginnthos were substantial non-sentient spiders distinguished by eight legs that allowed them to scale vertical surfaces. They were also characterized by delicate, feathery antennae. These creatures typically reached lengths of two meters. Their coloration consisted of purple and black skin, highlighted by purple markings on their abdomens. They possessed six spinnerets within their bodies, which were responsible for creating exceptionally strong silk.
Ginnthos exhibited carnivorous behavior and would encase their captured prey in silk for several weeks before feeding on it. They made their homes in the dim corridors of the sinkhole caverns found across Utapau. These creatures could be tamed, trained to produce silk on command, or used to hunt vermin. Webs were a common association linked to Ginnthos.
During the early stages of Pau'an society on Utapau, the natives and ginnthos engaged in hunting together, fostering a close connection. Ultimately, the creatures were sometimes employed within stables to manage vermin like rodents. In 19 BBY, Ginnthos were present in Pau City, the capital of Utapau, where they were strategically used to construct traps aimed at capturing battle droids from the Confederacy of Independent Systems during the Battle of Utapau.
Velya Faer, an Evereni, made a comparison no earlier than 379 BBY, likening Marda Ro, the Evereni who founded the group of pirates that would later become the Nihil, to a ginntho at the center of a web. This comparison was made while discussing how Ro differed from other Evereni due to her tendency to surround herself with other beings. Ro later referenced this comparison in a message recorded for her descendants, recalling her conversation with Faer. By 252 BBY, Marchion Ro, Ro's great-great-grandson, had listened to her journal during his youth, which included the message referencing ginnthos.
The initial appearance of Ginnthos occurred in the prequel trilogy movie Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, which debuted on May 19, 2005. Within the established Star Wars canon, their identification was first made in the thirtieth issue of the De Agostini Star Wars: Build the Millennium Falcon magazine, released around July 29, 2015. The name originated from the Star Wars Legends continuity, where it was first used in the 2006 reference book titled Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary.
The reference book Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know, which was released on September 4, 2015, describes them as sizable spiders, a description that is consistent with its updated and expanded edition, published on October 1, 2017. Star Wars: The Visual Encyclopedia, another reference book released on April 4, 2017, also identifies ginnthos as spiders but includes them in a section titled "arachnid-like." The article "Visiting Utapau" and the "Guide to the Galaxy: Wildlife of Utapau" found in the fortieth issue of Build the Millennium Falcon, released around October 7, 2015, state that their classification is arachnid, with "Wildlife of Utapau" further describing them as spiderlike. Given that the classification provided by Absolutely Everything You Need to Know, Updated and Expanded is the most consistent, this article adopts it as the definitive one.