Fighting claws were weapons used by the Yuuzhan Vong. Fighting claws were actually parasites embedded into the bone of a warrior, usually in their knuckles. A mere contraction of muscles would send the claws out. It was quite painful to extend the claws, but the warriors did so in the name of Yun-Yammka. When released, they could cut through steel. Fighting claws could also stretch up to four times their resting length, giving them a whip-like appearance. The New Republic tried to build several types of hand weapons to fight against this weapon, but most attempts failed, resulting in poor weapons in use against the claw. The claws could also cut through energy shields, as well forcing the Republic soldiers to retreat on many battlefronts because of the overall power of this brutal weapon. The fact that the claw was embedded in the hand made it hard to separate the claw from their hands, making a fight with a Yuuzhan Vong wielding this weapon extremely difficult, since even lightsabers couldn't cut through them, much less swords.