Shaaks were herbivorous mammals native to the grasslands of Naboo, and were also raised on other worlds. These species were non-sentient and bulbous in form. Despite their dark red eyes, shaaks were known for their gentle and non-threatening nature. They moved slowly, but could buck unpredictably if mounted by someone without experience in shaak-riding. Their bodies were plump with blubber, covered in brown leathery skin, and supported by four legs. Due to their weak legs relative to their bulky bodies, they struggled to stand fully upright. Their large size made them unable to swim, so they avoided Naboo's swamps. If infected by the waterborne Blue Shadow Virus, shaaks would immediately die and turn purple, whereas most other species had a 48 hour window before the virus proved fatal.
Gungans raised shaaks for both their meat and their hides. They also occasionally used them as beasts of burden. Their dung served as a favored fertilizer for Naboo farmers in their fields.
On Pijal, shaak leg was considered a delicacy. Some inhabitants of the planet Batuu also raised them as livestock for food. Shaak steak was another dish prepared using shaak meat.
In 22 BBY, while assigned to protect Padmé Amidala on Naboo, Anakin Skywalker clumsily rode a shaak across the grasslands near the lake country during a picnic with Padmé. After falling off and being stepped over by the shaak, he feigned injury to entertain her. At least a dozen shaaks were grazing in the background.
During the Clone Wars, Peppi Bow, a female Gungan, worked as a shaak herder. One day, while leading a herd of fifteen shaaks, Bow paused for a drink at a river. She soon discovered that the river was contaminated with the Blue Shadow Virus, created by Nuvo Vindi in his secret laboratory on Naboo. Despite her efforts to stop the rest of the herd, six shaaks drank the contaminated water and perished.
Terryl Whitlatch designed the shaak species for Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace. They appeared briefly in one shot of the film. Whitlatch envisioned them as grazers bred for food, the Naboo equivalent of sheep. A few computer-generated shaaks also appeared in a single shot of the subsequent film, Attack of the Clones. Mark Siegel, the 3D sculptor for the scene, created the rendering using only a few 2D drawings. Initially, Siegel considered the shaak too absurd to translate to the screen effectively, but he was ultimately satisfied with the final product. In the film, a shaak is visible flying amidst the traffic of Coruscant while the Jedi Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi were chasing the assassin Zam Wesell.