10 Small Details You Missed In Dune

The planet Dune (also known as Arrakis) is a desert planet dominated by giant sandworms that the local people, the Fremen, worship as gods.

The sandworms tunnel at high speeds beneath the sand and catch smaller animals in their mouths. However, many people may have missed the method that the sandworms use to detect their prey, as it was only mentioned briefly. The sandworms are able to detect the rhythm of the vibrations of footsteps on the surface. When they detect something walking with rhythm, they know it couldn't be just natural wind and they immediately attack.

For this reason, the Fremen of Arrakis have learned to walk without rhythm in a dance-like style that imitates the natural sound of the wind. They have also invented the thumper, a simple piston that pounds on the ground rhythmically, luring any nearby sandworms by making them believe there is something walking. The Fremen often use thumpers to lure sandworms away from their path while they walk without rhythm past them.

In the movie, Liet Kynes, the Judge of the Change attempts to call a worm with a thumper to ride it away to safety but when she is killed before being able to hop on, the worm arrives and consumes her and her attackers.