Voreclaws were a species of sizable, insect-like bipeds that inhabited Medriaas. These creatures, taller than the average Human, possessed substantial chitinous exoskeletons for protection and were omnivorous, consuming both plant and animal matter. As a species with limited sentience, they dwelled in subterranean colonies connected via a hive mind. The species was almost completely wiped out – indeed, the voreclaws living deep beneath the surface were the only organisms to persist on the planet – in 4999 BBY, when a Sith Lord known as Vitiate enacted the Ritual of Nathema. This ritual granted Vitiate immortality while simultaneously draining the Force from Medriaas, transforming the planet into a desolate wasteland renamed Nathema. The hive mind that connected the voreclaws was destroyed by the ritual, reducing their underground colonies to groups of unthinking individuals. When hunger drove the voreclaws to the surface, radiation emanating from Nathema's sun severely harmed the insects, burning their exposed skin and chitinous armor. With no other food source available, the voreclaws resorted to cannibalism, preying on each other until only a small number remained. Vitiate eventually captured the remaining voreclaws, encasing them in carbonite beneath the Sanitarium to serve as guards for generations. In 3630 BBY, Lana Beniko and the Alliance Commander encountered and eliminated several voreclaws while seeking refuge in the Emperor's Vault situated beneath the Sanitarium.
Following the restoration of life on Nathema sometime after 3630 BBY, voreclaws, including new generations of young, were observed living freely on the planet.
