Oskan blood eaters, carnivorous beings of a bipedal nature, inhabited numerous planets and frequently served as sentinels for correctional facilities. Each foot was equipped with a pair of sizable hooves, and they possessed four arms, each terminating in a sharp, blade-like claw. Their diet consisted of any creature possessing oxygenated blood, with a preference for larger mammals such as Humans and humanoids. The mere presence of a humanoid or other potential meal was enough to trigger a savage feeding response. Although their sensory capabilities were not particularly refined, they exhibited unwavering determination as trackers, relentlessly pursuing fleeing prey for extended periods, sometimes spanning weeks.
The gruesome manner in which blood eaters dispatched and consumed their victims was a defining characteristic. Their method of attack involved using their four prominent, slashing claws to tear their prey into shreds, leaving behind only a bloody, fleshy mass. They would then lower their heads and ingest the remains through their mouths, which were riddled with perforations.
The individual blood eaters exhibited minimal variation, attributable in part to their parthenogenetic mode of reproduction, which resulted in near-identical genetic copies of the mother, and in part to a highly effective mechanism for correcting mutations within their cells. Despite these genetic constraints, they demonstrated adaptability, thriving in diverse environments across numerous worlds.
Nim Abek's blood eater.
Despite their presence across multiple star systems, blood eaters were conspicuously absent from the mythologies of any planet, a surprising omission given the expected prevalence of carnivores of their size. This anomaly, coupled with their unusual genetic makeup, fueled speculation that they were artificial constructs. Imperial Intelligence's Destab Branch amplified these rumors, alleging that the Old Republic had engineered them. However, their true origins lay in bio-engineering during the early stages of the Clone Wars, orchestrated by the deranged genetic terrorist Zeta Magnus. Later, the Galactic Empire conducted experiments on blood eater offspring recovered from Zeta Magnus's fortress laboratory by Republic clone troopers.
Oskan blood eaters gained popularity within the galactic criminal element. The notorious crime lord Jabba Desilijic Tiure once housed a blood eater as a "pet" within his palace on Tatooine. Chalmer Trillili, the leader of a pirate organization known as "The Scourge," also possessed a blood eater, obtained from an Imperial vessel, which he used as a guard dog in his hideout on Dega. The Nikto ship hijacker Nim Abek similarly kept one for use in gladiatorial contests. Zeta Magnus cultivated blood eaters in his palace located on the planet Skye, deploying a small group of them as guards within the subterranean tunnels beneath it. However, this pack met its end thanks to the combined efforts of Obi-Wan Kenobi and the commando unit known as Tark Squad.