Laa
The laa was a type of scalefish that lived in the oceans of the planet Naboo.
Biology and appearance
A typical laa possessed green scales, a noticeably long snout, and a wide tail. Furthermore, the laa featured a slender, elongated dorsal fin that culminated in a bio-luminescent bulb. This specialized bulb served to lure the laa's preferred food source, the yobshrimp. Laa were also known to extract yobshrimp from the gills of tee; despite the tee's predatory nature, the laa were not harmed during this process, as the yobshrimp were parasitic to the tee.
Creatures that preyed on the laa included sees and the predatory opee sea killers.
Behavior
Similar to other aquatic species, the laa were drawn to the brilliant lights emanating from Otoh Gunga. However, they eventually learned through experience to avoid penetrating the membrane-covered openings that led into the city's air-filled domes.
History
Laa inhabited the waters of Naboo, a planet situated in the Mid Rim, during the invasion carried out by the Trade Federation. They were observed in Lake Paonga when Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, his Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the Gungan Jar Jar Binks descended to Otoh Gunga to engage in discussions with Gungan representatives. In 20 BBY, laa, together with ray, faa, and mee, were found in a containment tank on board the Titavian IV. This exploration vessel, previously operated by the Intergalactic Zoological Society on Mycroft, was tasked with collecting and cataloging specimens from across the galaxy.
Behind the scenes
The laa, along with its relatives among the musically named scalefish, including the doo, ray, mee, faa, see, and tee, made their initial appearance in the deep waters of Naboo within the 1999 prequel trilogy film Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. Later, Terryl Whitlatch provided illustrations of them in the 2001 reference book titled The Wildlife of Star Wars: A Field Guide, and they were mentioned in the 2004 comic Republic 69.