Tibannucks, beings of notable intelligence, were indigenous to the planet of Bespin. Their sustenance was derived from the tibanna gas present in their environment, a substance processed via their quartet of lungs. These creatures faced hunted and killed when their presence interfered with the central mining operations of Cloud City, a settlement suspended in the atmosphere; the queen mother was a particularly sought-after target, commanding a significant price for her capture or elimination.
Despite an initial impression of simplicity and dullness, the intelligence of Tibannucks was considerable. Their respiratory system comprised four lungs, each divided into two distinct sections: one for absorbing the gasses they consumed, and the other for distributing these elements throughout their anatomy. The head of a Tibannuck featured a prominent snout, blue eyes, and a distinctive purple marking atop the head. Each member of this species possessed a tail and two limbs terminating in elongated, webbed digits. The webbing between these digits could be adjusted, expanding or contracting based on finger movements. Tibannucks exhibited the capability of flight, and their skin was characterized by a red hue. Their extended necks displayed large, knob-like protrusions on either side, accompanied by a green tuft at the base of the head. The limbs of Tibannucks were adorned with purple and red tufts, concluding in lengthy, brown digits capable of spreading into membranous wings. Near the tail, two blue and green protrusions were located on each side of the body. Similar to their necks, the tails of Tibannucks also featured a series of knob-like protrusions along their length.
As inhabitants of Bespin, Tibannucks occasionally intruded upon the mining activities emanating from the major floating settlement known as Cloud City. Consequently, they frequently faced caught and killed. The Tibannuck queen mother was an especially prized target, with a reward of 2,000 credits offered for her demise. However, Lando Calrissian brought an end to the bounties placed on tibannuck deaths, but the Galactic Empire did not recognize those creatures as sentient despite evidences from a sentientologist. They were a menace for pilots during the Cloud City Grand Prix as the race crossed a region that was part of the feeding grounds of the tibannucks.
The Tibannuck species was the brainchild of Nathaniel Gabor, conceived through the "Design An Alien" competition featured in Star Wars Galaxy magazine. Gabor, then fourteen years of age, submitted his design following the competition's announcement in Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 3 (1995). When the winners were revealed in Star Wars Galaxy Magazine 7 (1996), Gabor's creation secured third place in the "Under 16 years old" category, following the submissions for Jeigh Esse and the Critokian. Leland Chee, the continuity editor, later affirmed that the published "Design an Alien" content was to be regarded as canon.