The sand beast, alternatively referred to as a sand ape, was a sizable, carnivorous, six-limbed reptilian species inhabiting the desert world of Tatooine.
This reptile, the sand beast, possessed robust, armored scales of a brownish hue. Its facial features included a pair of white eyes and prominent, off-white teeth. Its most distinguishing characteristic was its set of six powerful limbs, which functioned as both arms and legs. This allowed the creature to switch between a two-legged or four-legged posture as needed. These creatures made their home by burrowing under the sandy surface of the planet Tatooine.
Not long after the collapse of the Galactic Empire, a Rodian and the bounty hunter Boba Fett were captured by Tusken Raiders and forced to excavate black melons from beneath Tatooine's sands. The Rodian accidentally unearthed one of the creature's arms, prompting the beast to immediately strike, seizing the Rodian by the neck. It then proceeded to drag Fett, who was chained to his fellow captive at the ankle. The Tusken youngling and his massiff then charged at the massive creature. The beast grabbed the massiff by its throat, throwing it aside before crushing and suffocating the Rodian in the sand.
The creature advanced toward the Tusken, preparing to attack, but Fett quickly wrapped his chain around the beast's neck. Despite the creature's frantic attempts to seize him, Fett tightened the chain, ultimately causing it to suffocate. Following this encounter, the youngling presented the creature's severed head to his tribe as a trophy, which earned Fett the respect of the tribe's chief.
The initial appearance of the sand beasts occurred in "Chapter 1: Stranger in a Strange Land," the debut episode of the live-action Disney+ television program The Book of Boba Fett. Robert Rodriguez directed the episode, which premiered on December 29, 2021. The sand beast's movements were performed by seasoned stunt performer David Mattey, who physically interacted with the cast and stunt team on the set as his motion capture data was recorded simultaneously.