An Observational Report on Swampas

[Sarias]

An Observational Report on Swamp Wampas - By Acolyte [REDACTED]

The Swamp Wampa, from here on referred to as Swampa, are a large humanoid Reptomammalian species classified as Semi-Sentient. A direct adaptation from the Wampa’s of Hoth, the Swampa is so far only known to exist on Dromund Kaas. Most likely the result of escaped captive Wampas brought to the Dromund system intentionally for experimentation or as exotic pets.
I will start with the appearance. The Swampa has an estimated average height of three meters, an estimated average weight of one hundred and fifty kilograms, yellow and black sunken eyes, with scaly skin covered with a light coat of fur. The fur colors can be white, grey, brown, green, or a mix. Even if born with white or grey fur, it will most likely appear brown and or green due to mud and mold attaching itself to the fur and discoloring it. The Swampa has horns that increase in size proportional to the creature’s age. Because it’s so closely related to the Wampa, the creature has not had a lot of time to adapt to the warmer climate of Dromund Kaas. The key differences are the lighter coat of fur, not as thick and bushy as Wampas, and a thinner layer of fat to insulate it. Without this extra layer the Swampa is slightly, emphasis on slightly, easier to subdue, capture, and kill. However, the tradeoff is increased agility compared to their Cold World cousins. The scaly skin helps protect it from other predators as well as rival Swampa. Swampas have razor sharp claws and fangs coupled with their large muscular bodies making them even deadlier opponents. One swing is usually enough to kill most prey. When charging the beasts will drop down on all four limbs and switch to standing on two legs when in combat. It is worth noting that the Swampa has exceptional aural and olfactory senses as well. Better to track prey and communicate with one another. The Swampa is not to be underestimated, it has had to adapt to the other deadly fauna of Dromund Kaas.
The Behavior and Psychology of the Swampa are quite different from Wampas. The two things they still share is the ability to effectively communicate with each other, and a strong family unit. As stated before Swampas are considered semi-sentient meaning they display intelligence and problem solving skills. As well they have exceptional aural capability paired with the ability to communicate with each other, to a limited degree. When capturing Swampas for Sith Sarias, the female, and preadolescents appeared to cry out for help. Calling the Male of the family unit to come to their aid. As well when using a net to capture the Female, she attempted to avoid and escape, finally being put down with tranquilizers and stun bolts for transport. Further study and observation will be required to determine how the loss of the male, killed during our hunt, will affect the development of the two preadolescent specimens we acquired. Something to note as well was the state of the cave habitat the Swampas were found in. It is known that Wampas will capture more prey than needed, but often store them in their caves, alive, to eat later due to the scarcity of prey in their natural environment. The Swampa den was filled with piles and piles of meat. Perhaps this is a similar behavior of storing food? However the climate of Dromund Kaas’ swamps doesn’t allow for meat to be properly stored as it would be in a frozen world, left instead to decay in the warm humid environment we found them in. It is also possible the extra food was simply there to compensate for the developing Swampas and their healthy appetites. From here on the behaviors of Swampas diverge from Wampas greatly. Dromund Kaas is a vastly different environment, with warmer temperatures, higher humidity, and more fauna. Swampas are not the only predators, and they do not have to venture as far to find food, effectively making their territory smaller. In fact it was the evidence of hunting that allowed us to track the Swampas so easily to their den, evidence of fresh kills leading bloody trails back to their cave. Other predators would not leave such a trail. My guess, having no experience using Animal Bond, semi-sentient life forms, for non-force users, would obviously either be easier to raise in captivity or more difficult. On the one hand they may be smart enough to see you as a companion and caretaker, the reverse being smart enough to see you as a captor and fight back accordingly.
One would assume that due to the creature’s large size a large paddock would be required, however I would argue that, if properly fed and taken care of, the size of the paddock does not matter. Due to semi-sentience, extra security should be a priority as problem solving skills to escape are a possibility. Appropriately sturdy fences and cages required to accommodate for the creature’s strength. Still unsure of how much time the Swampa’s physiology has had to adapt from the original Wampa and since they were captured in the swamps of Dromund Kaas, climate controls to compensate for humidity and temperature levels might be required as well. These will make fine specimens for experimentation due to their borderline humanoid physiology and excellent for frontline battle deployment, if they can be properly controlled.
This concludes my initial report.
Force Serve,
-Acolyte [REDACTED]