Hailing from the desert world of Tatooine, scurriers were a species of diminutive rodents. These creatures, recognized by their elongated ears, unique snout, and easily startled nature, typically wandered the desert landscapes. They were also commonly observed lingering near inhabited settlements.
These small rodents, known as scurriers, exhibited a degree of bipedalism. Their posture was somewhat upright, with limbs positioned directly beneath their bodies. Their torsos were nearly horizontal, necks curved upward, and tails extended straight out. While they typically moved on all fours in a horizontal stance, they could also stand solely on their hindlimbs. This freed their forelimbs and paws for tasks like digging. Their heads featured two eyes on either side, alongside a pair of lengthy, tubular ears usually held erect, and a distinctive snout that ended in a disc-shaped nose featuring four nostrils. Scurriers were covered in bare, wrinkled skin, with color variations ranging from pink on their undersides to grey on their backs and upper skulls. Some scurriers possessed antlers, the function of which remained unclear, as they did not employ them for defense or dominance displays.
Scurriers utilized their forepaws to excavate the sandy terrain. While typically inhabiting desert regions, they could also be encountered in close proximity to, or even within, populated settlements. They moved in groups, often scattering at the slightest hint of perceived danger, like a passing vehicle. Their name derived from their rapid and anxious movements.
Originating on Tatooine, a sun-baked, desert planet situated in the Outer Rim of the galaxy, scurriers provided a source of meat for Tatooine's sentient inhabitants. In Mos Eisley, dead scurriers were a common sight, hanging from food stalls.
During Anakin Skywalker's visit to the Lars family in 22 BBY, a group of scurriers loitered outside the family's homestead on the Great Chott salt flat.
In 19 BBY, the Volpai Moregi scattered bread crusts to scurriers in the capital city of the moon Pantora, the creatures' tails wagging as they consumed the offering.
In 0 BBY, a group of scurriers was present just outside Mos Eisley when Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi arrived aboard Skywalker's X-34 landspeeder, entering the city via Outer Curved Street. Startled by the approaching vehicle, the scurriers scattered, emitting high-pitched squeaks. Shortly after, Skywalker and Kenobi encountered another group of scurriers as they navigated the landspeeder onto Straight Street.
Similarly, the Mandalorian warrior Din Djarin caused a group of scurriers to scatter upon his arrival at Mos Pelgo on his Zephyr-J speeder bike on a certain day around 9 ABY.
While traversing the Dune Sea accompanied only by his bantha, the former bounty hunter Boba Fett subsisted on scurriers, even feeding the meat to his mount on one occasion. A short time later, Fett encountered the Master Assassin Fennec Shand and shared roasted scurrier with her following their joint defeat of the sarlacc in the Great Pit of Carkoon.
By 9 ABY, scurriers had been introduced as a species on the planet Plazir-15. During a banquet hosted by the Duchess and Captain Bombardier, an orange scurrier wandered across the banquet table, forming part of a wider collection of animals present at the event.
The scurriers were conceived for the Special Edition of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, which premiered in theaters in 1997. Alongside the other creatures populating Mos Eisley, they were designed by TyRuben Ellingson. The scurriers' design evolved from reptilian to mammalian, and even to an ambiguous, Muppet-esque form. The final design was that of a horned rodent. The computer-generated scurrier models featured in the Special Edition were, in fact, heavily modified versions loosely based on Velociraptor studies created for the 1993 film Jurassic Park.