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Description
Common name: Gopher hypsie
Scientific name: Geodromeus lethargicus
Time: Maastrichtian (65 million years ago)
Size: 2 meters long, 40 kilograms
Diet: Roots, fungi, grubs
Distribution: Australia
While the Long-Tailed Hypsies take most of the tunnels for themselves, it is actually this weird Ornithopod which digs these large burrows. The Gopher Hypsie is a powerful herbivore perfectly designed for burrowing. Its arms contain extremely powerful muscles and its claws are huge and shovel-like. To better move around in the tunnels its legs are so short it walks around exclusively on all four legs. Even the beak´s robust appearance with the keratinous spikes is not only a great help when munching on hard roots, but can also be used like an excavator to loosen the soil. The eyes are protected by heavy lids. Like its relatives this dinosaur has a long fluffy tail, but it is not as extreme as in the Long-Tailed Hypsies.
The mutual relationship between these two Hypsies has almost reached a level where each one can´t survive without the other. The Long-Tailed Hypsies are not able to dig such deep burrows with their own arms and while they are fast and agile, they´re not as fast and agile as most of their predators. The Gopher Hypsie on the other hand is so well adapted for burrowing that it is a slow and defenseless creature when outside, making it hard to collect enough food in the open field. But together these small ornithopods are the most successful dinosaurs in Maastrichtian Australia.
Gopher Hypsies usually are solitary creatures. They withdraw from the Long-Tailed Hypsie clan into a “private” part of the burrow where they sleep and eat the food brought by their cohabitants. The rest of the day is spent with checking for collapsed tunnels and digging new ones. Like the Long-Tailed Hypsies the Gopher Hypsies mate during winter when few predators are out there. Males leave the safety of their burrow to look for another burrow made by a female and leave them right after copulation to continue their search. Since not all predators spend the winter hibernating or in northern regions most males never make it back to the safety of their own burrow. The female lays their eggs into the same chambers as the Long-Tailed Hypsies to make sure that right from the moment of hatching the babies get to know and tolerate each other.

Description
Common name: Gopher hypsie
Scientific name: Geodromeus lethargicus
Time: Maastrichtian (65 million years ago)
Size: 2 meters long, 40 kilograms
Diet: Roots, fungi, grubs
Distribution: Australia
While the Long-Tailed Hypsies take most of the tunnels for themselves, it is actually this weird Ornithopod which digs these large burrows. The Gopher Hypsie is a powerful herbivore perfectly designed for burrowing. Its arms contain extremely powerful muscles and its claws are huge and shovel-like. To better move around in the tunnels its legs are so short it walks around exclusively on all four legs. Even the beak´s robust appearance with the keratinous spikes is not only a great help when munching on hard roots, but can also be used like an excavator to loosen the soil. The eyes are protected by heavy lids. Like its relatives this dinosaur has a long fluffy tail, but it is not as extreme as in the Long-Tailed Hypsies.
The mutual relationship between these two Hypsies has almost reached a level where each one can´t survive without the other. The Long-Tailed Hypsies are not able to dig such deep burrows with their own arms and while they are fast and agile, they´re not as fast and agile as most of their predators. The Gopher Hypsie on the other hand is so well adapted for burrowing that it is a slow and defenseless creature when outside, making it hard to collect enough food in the open field. But together these small ornithopods are the most successful dinosaurs in Maastrichtian Australia.
Gopher Hypsies usually are solitary creatures. They withdraw from the Long-Tailed Hypsie clan into a “private” part of the burrow where they sleep and eat the food brought by their cohabitants. The rest of the day is spent with checking for collapsed tunnels and digging new ones. Like the Long-Tailed Hypsies the Gopher Hypsies mate during winter when few predators are out there. Males leave the safety of their burrow to look for another burrow made by a female and leave them right after copulation to continue their search. Since not all predators spend the winter hibernating or in northern regions most males never make it back to the safety of their own burrow. The female lays their eggs into the same chambers as the Long-Tailed Hypsies to make sure that right from the moment of hatching the babies get to know and tolerate each other.