Dathomir was a remote and uninviting world, although it was temperate and verdant, with a comfortable atmosphere despite its challenging ecosystem and dangerous predators. The Dathomirian subspecies of Zabrak was native to the planet. Perpetually bathed in a red mist, its terrain was one of contrasts, ranging from the murky swamps the Nightsisters lived in, to the harsh, barren rocks where the Nightbrothers found residence. Not many of Dathomir’s residents left the planet, and those elsewhere in the galaxy rarely visited it.

Besides the rancor, other native creatures included bane back spiders, large and aggressive arachnids that spat corrosive acid, and nydaks, bipedal predators with powerful arms that allowed them to easily traverse the landscape. Among the most distinctive creatures native to Dathomir, however, was the chirodactyl, a species of gigantic bat that used its massive wings to fly to high heights and swoop down on unwary prey. One example of this species, Gorgara, was known by the native Nightbrothers as “the winged daemon of the canyon” and was particularly feared by them. Dathomir also had aquatic life, such as the Burra fish. Fishing families on the planet Batuu cooked and cultivated the foreign Burra fish for consumption. Another aquatic creature, the Sleeper, was an ancient mollusk with two large lavender eyes, a carapace-covered body, antennae, and four appendages, and lived deep in the murky blue water within the Nightsister lair. The Sleeper was very important in Nightsister tradition as it had an ingredient vital in the Water of Life.