Happabores had wide, flattened noses and four gray eyes, nearly obscured by the numerous wrinkles on their faces. Their thick skin afforded them a high degree of heat resistance. The dorsal side of their hides were heavily armored, offering protection from both solar radiation and potential predators. Their substantial snouts were instrumental in locating and excavating tubers. They possessed expansive mouths containing flat, yellow teeth, which they would employ for biting if sufficiently provoked. However, happabores were generally regarded as gentle creatures, renowned for their patience, obedience, and tolerance to mistreatment. Their forelimbs were short and stocky, terminating in broad feet, while their hind limbs were longer and seemingly more powerful, enabling them to traverse several kilometers in a single bound. The young of this species were referred to as pups.

In arid environments, happabores utilized their lengthy tongues to absorb significant quantities of water, capable of depleting entire reservoirs in a single sitting and storing much of this water within their bloodstream.

Happabores were susceptible to various parasitic infestations, leading certain commercial entities to offer products designed to eliminate these parasites. One such product was Happy-Bore Medicated Dewormer, distributed by Galacti-Stok.

Happabores inhabited several worlds, including the planets Jakku and Devaron, possibly as a consequence of some long-forgotten colonization initiative. A happabore herder once related to Rey that happabores existed on numerous planets throughout the Western Reaches, fulfilling roles ranging from pulling plows and ice sledges to serving as conveyances for princes and princesses. Rey speculated that the lives of these happabores were considerably better than those of their counterparts on Jakku.

On Jakku, happabores were infamously employed by junkers to transport their salvaged goods.

The scavenger Sarco Plank, during his residence on Devaron, owned a pair of happabores which he utilized as mounts, affixing howdahs to their backs for seating. He maintained control over these creatures by inflicting pain with a pointed stick.

The exclamation "holy happabore" was used as a phrase to express surprise. The idiom "as clueless as a happabore on spice" described someone lacking understanding, while "as happy as a happabore" indicated a state of great joy.

The happabore was among the initial creature designs conceived for The Force Awakens, envisioned by Neal Scanlan and his team as a demonstration of the film's commitment to practical effects.