Shakma is played by the baboon, Typhoon (handled by Gerry Therrien). Typhoon also played the baboons in La mosca (1986) and Duncan Jax's baboon in Order of the Black Eagle. Order of the Black Eagle is also featured on Order of the Black Eagle, Wired to Kill, and Raiders of Atlantis (2016).
There were no female baboons on the set. Typhoon had an Alpha and a Beta trainer. The beta trainer was on the opposite side of the door whispering Typhoon's name which angered him.
David Lynch, when asked in an interview with Empire, said Shakma was his favourite film of 1990. When asked to elaborate, he refused.
The home video release in the UK was heavily cut. The Producer's had signed a distribution deal prior to receiving a BBFC classification. However, the BBFC refused to provide a classification due to an invalid animal welfare permit. The Producer's realised it would be more expensive to pull out of the distribution deal than to submit an alternative cut for the UK market. The UK home release ultimately cut out Shakma from the latter 2 thirds of the film. And, in order to pad out the run time; hallway scenes were extended and slow motion was used to extend shots. This release has only been available on PAL VHS, with all subsequent UK releases being the uncut US/International version.