Dianoga eye stalks are a symbol of bravery, puissance, skill and luck for many primitive cultures where these creatures haunt swamps and bayous. Warriors will undertake a hunt for a large predator as a symbol of virility, courage and fitness as a mate. Dianoga are apex predators in most environment, and successfully hunting one is a testament to a warrior’s power and ferocity, key considerations in many primitive cultures. The dianoga eye stalk is a kinked, muscular tube approximately thirty to forty centimetres in length and five to seven centimetres in diameter, topped by a single eye up to ten centimetres across. For some dianoga subspecies, the eye stalk is protected by chitinous segments with flexible tissue allowing for three hundred sixty degree movement. Other subspecies have tough connective tissue reinforcement running through the muscle of the appendage, making it more damage resistant.

While dianoga are quite resistant to most unpowered melee weapons due to the thick, pliable skin and, in some subspecies, reinforced tissue over the main body and appendages, they are quite vulnerable to modern blasters and vibro-weapons. There have been reports of a number of poacher gangs that hunt dianoga and harvest their eye stalks, then transporting the frozen appendages to backwater worlds where they can be bartered to some less highly skilled warriors in exchange for gems, rare plants or other unusual items. The warriors will then present the trophy as their own catch, securing prestige, fame and influence, which can in turn benefit the poacher gangs through their connections with these influential individuals.