Horned Gopher Colouring

The horned gopher, Ceratogaulus, was a strange burrowing rodent from ancient North America. Several species lived during the Miocene and early Pliocene, and Ceratogaulus hatcheri is one of the best known. Fossils occur especially in Great Plains deposits in states such as Nebraska and Kansas. Despite the common name, it was not a modern pocket gopher. It belonged to the extinct mylagaulid family and had a compact body, short strong legs and powerful digging claws. The most surprising feature was a pair of blunt bony horns rising from the snout. Ceratogaulus is the smallest known horned mammal and one of the only horned rodents ever discovered. Scientists have proposed several jobs for the horns. They may have helped defend the face from predators, compete with other horned gophers, or brace the head while digging. Their position and shape make a primary digging role uncertain, so the honest answer is that no single explanation is proved. The animal probably fed on roots, stems and other plants around its burrow. Its exact size differed among species, and fossils cannot tell us its normal lifespan. The last populations vanished roughly five million years ago. No named final animal existed in human records. Gradual changes in climate, prairie vegetation, soils and predators may have altered its specialised burrowing world. Colour the horned gopher warm tan, cinnamon, grey-brown or sandy yellow. Make the belly and muzzle cream, the small nose dark grey, and the claws and horns ivory or pale beige. A darker line at the horn bases will help the unusual pair stand out. Use short strokes around the cheeks for fur and smooth strokes down the round body. Colour the prairie grass yellow-green or ochre, the burrow soil reddish brown and the distant hills pale blue-grey. The tiny flowers can be purple, white or yellow. Keep plenty of white around the animal so it does not look crowded. Most importantly, preserve two separate blunt horns rather than turning them into one rhinoceros horn. This page shows that even small plant-eating rodents evolved surprising defences in deep time.

◫ A4 size✎ Bold outlines♡ Ages 3–8

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