Hive rat

For other uses, see Hive and Rat.

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"Back then it was full of ruined machines, and old junk, and a whole herd of mutant hive rats and practically everything else you'd ever want to find."

―Lando Calrissian, on the hive rats in Dometown^[2]

Hive rats, also known as mutant hive rats,^[2] coruscani rats^[3] or simply mutant rats, were enormous, nearly hairless, rapacious rodents who inhabited the sewers and lowest levels of Coruscant.^[1] The mutant rat species was often believed to be the result of ecosystem damage and exposure to sewage, pollution, and reactor radiation.

Biology and appearance

An escaped feeds on a hive rat while a defenseless human civilian watches in fear. — An escaped narglatch feeds on a hive rat while a defenseless human civilian watches in fear.

Hive rats could reach sizes of up to 3 meters and 300 kilograms. The bodies of the rats were often riddled with benign tumors and fat deposits.^[1] It was unknown if the creatures were native to Coruscant, as they had been mutated by exposure to the radiation and wastes of the under region of the planet. Their misshapen, lumpy appearance disguised any hint of their original species traits. It was speculated that they could be traced back to anything from veermoks to womp rats, but generations of exposure to the world’s toxins and mutagens turned them into their own species.^[3]

Their powerful teeth and jaws were capable of inflicting considerable damage to water pipes and other utility lines. The hive rats' only benefit to Coruscanti residents was that they were happy to feed on duracrete worms, a pest. Otherwise, they were despised and looked on with fear. They roamed the underlevels in packs, and homeless residents and fugitives who wandered these levels frequently fell victim to roving packs of hive rats or hungry dianogas.^[1]

They were fearless and ruthless predators, attacking anything that seemed edible, even creatures twice their size. They were too vicious and driven by hunger to give up potential prey, and they were even known to attack armored repulsor vehicles, even though unsuccessfully. Most hive rats traveled in packs of as many as 10, though bull males also traveled alone. All the females in a pack gave birth at once, after constructing a large nest. A typical pack had four or five females and produced eight to 10 live pups in each litter. After a few weeks, the litter was able to survive on its own, and the young wandered off to form their own pack.^[3]