Ranats, known as Con Queecon in their own language, were a species of meter-tall rodents with long, tusk-like incisors jutting from their lower jaws. Though originally from Rydar II, the Ranats there were nearly wiped out by Human colonists in 200 BBY. Three Ranats stowed away on a spice freighter and crash landed on Aralia, where they re-established their species. The Ranat tribes inhabited extensive tunnel networks, resembling intricate mazes, where they collectively raised their offspring. These tribes employed cunning tactics, leading intruders into dead ends to facilitate their elimination. Despite their simple personalities, with minimal displays of emotion beyond the instinct for food, Ranats demonstrated hostility toward both outsiders and members of their own kind. In response to the threat posed by pest-control teams seeking to eliminate them, the tribes cooperated to counter this common adversary. Upon the arrival of entrepreneurs intending to transform Aralia into a planetary amusement park, Ranats resisted the intrusion and coordinated efforts to thwart these developments. The Antemeridian sector government designated Ranats as semi-sentient, allowing sentient beings to defend themselves against the rodents while prohibiting the arming of the species. The movement of well-armed groups to Aralia was restricted to conceal the existence of the Ranats and the controversial assessment of their sentience. Few Ranats were seen away from Aralia, and those that left the world occupied the lowest levels of society. Ranats established themselves on Tatooine, where they lived in the more populated areas as scroungers and traders. One group overran crime lord Jabba Desilijic Tiure's Palace after his death, and the Vriichon brothers once owned the Mos Eisley Cantina. During the Galactic Civil War, the Imperial military tested Ranat mercenary bands for possible use against Rebel Alliance forces. Ranats were also found in the employ of the mage Orloc, who attempted to start his own Jedi Order. The Ranat Rik-tak was a member of the Justice Action Network who operated in the Tapani sector. Ranats were omnivores and strongly preferred meat, especially that of Aralia's native robas. Their sharp incisors and claws were useful as both weapons and tunneling tools. Burrowing wore down their teeth but also released hormones that stimulated tooth growth; unchecked, the incisors could reach prodigious lengths, so most Ranats gnawed constantly to keep them filed back. Ranats were a species of small rodents. They shared many features in common with sentient species such as their distant cousins, the Tintinna,[14] and with other sentient mammals of similar physiology, including Chadra-Fan and Squibs. Nevertheless, the status of Ranats as fully sentient or merely semi-sentient was the subject of galactic debate for centuries. With few exceptions, Ranats stood about a meter high. This small size made them seem innocuous to many who encountered them and belied their power. They had short, well-muscled limbs with four digits on each forepaw and three per hindpaw. All four paws were nimble and capable of fine manipulation. Ranats had short, heavy-duty, retractable claws that, while of limited use in hunting or self-defence, allowed a Ranat to dig through as much as one meter of soil and loose rock in a mere 15 seconds. The Ranat body was tough, wiry, and partially flattened. Exceptional flexibility allowed Ranats to squeeze through small openings that would prove impenetrable to other beings of similar size; the
Shi'ido shapeshifter Mammon Hoole often assumed the form of a Ranat to take advantage of this very ability.[20] Although a typical Ranat had a long, scaly, hairless tail, the rodents were almost entirely covered in fur that ranged from dirty blond to dark reddish or greyish brown. Some Ranats groomed themselves, but for most, the coat was filthy and foul-smelling. Understandably, many non-Ranats considered the species to be visually unappealing. Ranats stooped when they stood and scampered and scurried when they ran. They tended to wear little more clothing than cloth hoods, leather belts, and ornamental tooth bands. However, those Ranats who integrated into galactic society often wore full-length tunics and footwear. The Ranats' eyes, located at the sides of the head, varied in color from beady and black, to red. Their hairless, pink ears were small and round and typically lay flat against the head. A Ranat's long, pointed snout was full of sharp teeth and terminated in a yellowish-white nose surrounded by long, black whiskers. Their senses were acute: they could see in the dark and detect others' moods by scent. Ranats spoke in a voice of squeaks and screeches. A Ranat's bottom two incisors were sharp, pointed, and discolored yellow or brown from tartar and dirt. Gnawing stimulated glands in the Ranat's jaw to produce growth hormones. Unchecked, this caused the incisors to grow up to a centimeter in a standard hour. The only way to counter the growth was to gnaw even more and wear the teeth down. Some members of the species managed to keep these teeth small enough to fit inside the mouth, but others had incisors that poked out and overlapped the upper lip like tusks. Coupled with their sharp teeth and powerful jaws, these incisors gave Ranats a dangerous bite. Ranats were fecund. Females went into heat at least twice each standard year, during which period they mated with as many males as possible. After fertilization, the fetus gestated for about 120 standard days. The mother then gave birth to a litter of three to six young. The species' signature incisors began to grow in at adolescence. Members of the species were considered adults at three standard years of age, and the average Ranat could expect to live to be 20 standard years old. A song from the
Max Rebo Band, the fictional band in the
Star Wars universe that is playing in
Jabba the Hutt's palace in
Return of the Jedi, is dedicated to them known as "Kick That Ranat". ==Rattataki==