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| Location : Hoth WAMPA ICE CREATURE "Steady, girl! Hey, what's the matter? You smell something?" - Luke Skywalker to his tauntaun (prior to a wampa attack), The Empire Strikes Back |
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The wampa ice creature is a deadly predator native to the frozen world of Hoth. White-furred and possessing huge paws, long claws and jagged teeth, the wampa is at the top of the food chain on Hoth. The average wampa snow monster stands at around three meters tall, with two beady, yellow eyes just visible from beneath its thick fur. Two curving horns sprout from either side of the wampa's head, indicative of the beast's progression from puberty into adulthood. These horns continue to grow over time. The wampa walks on either two or four legs, stalking its prey until moving close enough to rise up onto its hind legs and pounce on its victim. A single swipe of the wampa's huge, clawed paw is enough to incapacitate any prey, while even the hardy tauntaun is unable to survive a wampa's choking grasp. The tauntaun is the wampa's chief prey, thanks to the scarcity of life on frigid Hoth. Wampas have large hunting grounds, and follow tauntaun herds as they migrate over the ice plains. Their shaggy white fur allows these ice creatures to perfectly blend in with their surroundings, taking even the skittish tauntauns unawares. This fur covering also masks wampas from standard life-form scanners. Young wampas often compete for prey and territory as part of their coming-of-age, a natural process which ensures wampa population on Hoth is kept thankfully to a minimum. Though wampas are seen as solitary creatures, many travel in family-based groups. Wampas nest in ice caves when not hunting on the frozen plains, using these caverns as a lair to which they bring back prey. Wampas prefer live prey, and will freeze comatose victims to the cave ceiling or impale their legs on icy stalactites until feeding time. Though a single tauntaun will sustain a wampa for a considerable amount of time, a family group requires much more nourishment, especially considering female wampas give birth to up to three young at a time. Nesting wampas become very protective of their children, and even males are not immune to their mate's anger should they come between her and the young. It has been known for wampas to hunt in packs, usually to eliminate a threat to the local wampa population - namely the few Human settlements that are established on Hoth. Though used to hunting alone, wampas can coordinate their hunts in packs, showing a rudimentary form of intelligence and cunning, by scouting out targets before attacking. Despite, or perhaps because of, the wampa's strength and intelligence, the creatures are sought out by big-game hunters and thrill-seekers. Few hunters survived an encounter with a wampa, though those who did were rewarded by beautiful fur pelts and rare wampa horns and claws. At least one wampa was captured to compete in the gladiatorial arena on Rattatak during the era of the Clone Wars, while another was let loose on Ryloth. Members of the Rebel Alliance were confronted by wampa ice creatures when they established a base on Hoth during the Galactic Civil War. Several wampas broke into Echo Base, though with considerable effort, the Rebel troops were able to subdue the beasts and keep them incarcerated deep inside the base. Luke Skywalker was knocked out by a wampa and dragged back to its cave, though was able to escape becoming the wampa's next meal by cutting himself free from the cave ceiling with his lightsabre. During his escape, he lopped off the wampa's right arm. Years later, Luke returned to Hoth, and was attacked by the very same, one-armed wampa - this time hunting as part of a pack. Luke killed the vengeful beast, barely escaping with his life, and returned to the New Republic to report on his findings. It appeared that wampas not only possess a natural cunning and coordination, but also retain long memories - Luke was certain the armless wampa remembered Skywalker and his glowing blade. Source: The Empire Strikes Back, Essential Guide to Alien Species, Official Star Wars Fact File, Clone Wars, Darksabre _____________________________________________________________________________ -- Behind the Scenes -- Played by: Des Webb (The Empire Strikes Back), Howie Weed (TESB Special Edition) The wampa was one of the most difficult creatures to visualize in the movies. The wampa was originally envisioned as a fish-like creature capable of 'swimming' through the snow. In the original release of Episode V, the wampa was realized as a large shaggy costume worn by Des Webb, also wearing stilts to add height to the towering creature. Scenes of wampas invading Echo Base were rejected from the final film, as neither the costumes nor the effects were deemed good enough for the release. For the 1997 Special Edition, however, a new wampa suit was made by and for ILM artist Howie Weed. -- Multimedia -- Image Gallery: wampa ice creature |
| DATA Type: reptomammal Designation: semisentient Homeworld: Hoth Average Height: 3 m Diet: carnivore RELATED PAGES - Hoth - wampa ice cave - tauntaun |
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| TIMELINE - 30 BBY: On Ryloth, a young Quinlan Vos is forced to kill a transported wampa to save Aayla Secura (Rite of Passage) - 22 BBY: Asajj Ventress kills a wampa along with the rest of the combatants in the Cauldron arena on Rattatak (Clone Wars) - 3 ABY: Luke Skywalker is mauled by a wampa on Hoth, but manages to slice off its arm and escape. Wampas also invade Echo Base, but are repelled by Rebel forces (ESB) - 13 ABY: Luke Skywalker and Callista Ming are attacked by a pack of wampas on the site of the ruined Echo Base, and barely escape with their lives (Darksabre) - 15 ABY: Jedi-in-training Jaden Korr fights and kills a wampa while investigating the ruins of Echo Base (Jedi Academy) |