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In this answer to Are the humans in the Star Wars Galaxy really humans? , it is established that Star Wars

humans are not related to us at all, though they are anatomically identical

And we clearly have encountered dozens of alien animals of various sorts.

Are there any canonically established animals or insects in the Star Wars galaxy which are "anatomically identical" (as far as we can tell) to Earth animals?

Fine print: For the purpose of this question, I'm going to assume that a random background extra probably doesn't count unless there's a substantial reason to believe its appearance was intentional. It would have to be referred to by an Earth name (like "human") and also look identical to an Earth animal, as far as we can reasonably tell. In the case of an offhand mention of an animal without depiction, I would assume it might be an alien analog.

ThePopMachine
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2 Answers2

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The Ewok Adventure (later released with the subtitle Caravan of Courage) has the caravan traveling with pack horses.

And they are identified by name.

As the second clip shows, there are evidently also ferrets on Endor, but I don't think anyone ever says the word "ferret."

Buzz
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    Playing fast and loose with the words "canonically established", I see... – Valorum Oct 25 '19 at 18:01
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    @Valorum: Well, you played fast and loose with "based on description they are essentially identical". – ThePopMachine Oct 25 '19 at 21:35
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    ... my life was so much better 5 minutes ago when I lived in blissful ignorance that this 'Ewok Adventure' thing even existed. – Roddy of the Frozen Peas Oct 26 '19 at 02:05
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    Save your complaints for the Christmas special. These movies are more canonical then the 'first three'. If you enjoyed 'those movies' I don't see how you would not like these. They're (one of them at least) actually pretty good and kinda 'dark' for kids movies. – Mazura Oct 26 '19 at 02:06
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Ducks exist in the (canon) Star Wars universe. They appear to be essentially identical to Earth ducks based on the descriptions

They receive a mention in The Phantom Menace

Captain Panaka If we can't get the shield generator fixed, we'll be sitting ducks.

and again in Star Wars: Ahsoka.

Ahsoka had met the Fardi clan at the shipyards when she’d arrived on the planet. They ran most of the shipping from there, legal and otherwise. Ahsoka would have avoided them entirely, except the younger ones followed her about like ducklings and she hadn’t worked up the bile to discourage them yet.

They also receive a mention in the (formerly canon) A New Hope novelisation

Suddenly the boyish twinkle returned to those piercing eyes along with the old man’s natural humor. “I understand you’re quite a pilot yourself. Piloting and navigation aren’t hereditary, but a number of the things that can combine to make a good small-ship pilot are. Those you may have inherited. Still, even a duck has to be taught to swim.”
“What’s a duck?” Luke asked curiously.

and the Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia (Updated Edition) describes them thusly.

Duck: A common waterfowl native to Naboo and elsewhere.

Valorum
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  • @DavidW - Those were Pelikki. I've removed the picture entirely – Valorum Oct 25 '19 at 15:51
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    Ah, okay. I'm less happy with idiomatic usages like "sitting ducks" since that's an English idiom that would be translated differently even into a different Earth language, and I always assume that all speech in a movie like SW is run through a translation into English that would substitute appropriate English expressions for obscure alien idioms... – DavidW Oct 25 '19 at 15:55
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    ... what the duck? – Rand al'Thor Oct 25 '19 at 16:12
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    This answer is most fowl. – Robert Columbia Oct 25 '19 at 16:56
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    Relevant xkcd – DanDoubleL Oct 25 '19 at 16:57
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    Yes, I agree that "sitting ducks" doesn't bolster the answer. – ThePopMachine Oct 25 '19 at 17:05
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    Have we actually seen one of these ducks? How do we know they are not just alien duck analogs? – ThePopMachine Oct 25 '19 at 17:06
  • I'm not sure that the evidence from the Ashoka book is valid, since it's the narrator talking, and afaik that's not an in-universe character. – Levi C. Olson Oct 25 '19 at 17:12
  • In the Jedi prince series, there was a mention of a dog, but that was a weird legends thing. – CBredlow Oct 25 '19 at 17:30
  • @Valorum There's a wookiepedia page of real-world analogs for animals, which includes frogs, dogs, rabbits, chickens, etc. I won't link to it, as you've already got the answer set up. – CBredlow Oct 25 '19 at 20:27
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    While, I admit this is the best answer so far, I can't accept it. Even in the original question, I noted "In the case of an offhand mention of an animal without depiction, I would assume it might be an alien analog." Without better evidence that a duck is a duck, we don't know a Star Wars duck is a duck. Here we have three different cases of a narrator or a character using an idiom. What is the evidence that a duck looks like a duck?? You just claimed it out of no where. – ThePopMachine Oct 25 '19 at 21:34
  • @ThePopMachine - The description meets our expectations of what a duck is and does. – Valorum Oct 25 '19 at 21:35
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    @Valorum: Let see. (1) they are presumably easy to shoot when sitting (2) they have young which follow them around and (3) they swim. Even if I accept that those expressions weren't translated for Earthling ears, those animals could be almost anything. We don't even know they are birds! – ThePopMachine Oct 25 '19 at 21:38
  • ...We could assume they are birds because the word duck was chosen, but we certianly don't know they are anatomically identical – ThePopMachine Oct 25 '19 at 21:39
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    If humans aren't humans, despite being anatomically identical, I see no reason to assume that ducks are ducks either. This answer just lists two random mentions of the word "duck", I don't see how that demonstrates that a SW duck isn't some sort of 10-foot-tall monster that doesn't move fast and swims well. – terdon Oct 26 '19 at 16:07
  • @terdon - The Star Wars Encyclopedia describes it as a common waterfowl. That would seem to rule out the idea that it's 10 feet tall and monstrous – Valorum Oct 26 '19 at 16:51
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    Not on a planet where all waterfowl are tn feet tall and monstrous ;). My point is that if we need to accept that people who are obviously anatomically human aren't, actually, human, then a duck would need to to more than walk and quack like one to be one in this universe so simply mentioning the word doesn't seem to be evidence of anything. That said, the entire question seems a little pointless if we have to work under those constraints, but whatever. – terdon Oct 26 '19 at 16:53
  • @terdon - That seems to impose too strict a definition. Or else the answer would be absolutely no since all creatures, no matter how much they may look like Earth whatevers, can't be the same. – Valorum Oct 26 '19 at 16:55
  • It is possible you are calling a smeerp a rabbit (of the duck variety). – Spencer Oct 27 '19 at 03:13