"It seemed obvious that the animal was built for speed."
The gyrosprinter is a swift-footed, herbivorous bipedalien from the planet Darwin IV. It was first discovered on January 11, 2358, during the First Darwinian Expedition, in Planitia Borealis. It is the fastest running animal on the planet.
When running through the tall grass, a gyrosprinter cannot reach its full speed. When it breaks out of the grass onto a flat stretch of ground, its speed increases and certain pursuing predators, like raybacks and skewers, will not be able to catch up.
Navigating with sonar pings while racing from an enemy, a gyrosprinter can cover almost 100 meters to 5 kilometers, it careens in wide turns and can bound over rocks and depressions. Even though a rayback can run at 48-50 kilometers per hour, a gyrosprinter can race at nearly twice that speed and maneuver wildly, frequently topping 90 kph. Even after a pursuer gives up the chase, the gyrosprinter can still be running, intent on putting as much distance between itself and the predator as possible. After about a quarter of an
The gyrosprinter's two-meter-long tongue rolls up and rests within a chest cavity between its two hearts. The cephalon at the end of its neck contains no brain.
hour of running across the plains, it slows and drops down to rest in the grass. While laying down, it hardly moves for an hour.
Tiny bio-lights glow on the hairless body. Two large nostrils gape on its back. A disproportionally small head bobs ever so slightly on the end of a long, sinewy neck. It has two muscular legs which are jointed as if, perhaps eons ago, there had been four.
The creature moves with an almost rubbery ease as its legs rhythmically flex and extend. This impression of fluidity is enhanced by the flexibility of the animal's body; its stretching spine seems, at times, to almost detach itself from its internal shoulder and hip joints, further lengthening its stride to what is estimated to be an unbelievable 15 meters. It is obvious that the animal is built for speed.
It has one other very odd feature. Situated above and behind its neck is a pair of post-like organs that remain absolutely horizontal regardless of their owner's position relative to the ground. It is deduced that they are organs of balance, a vital necessity for a biped with such a leg arrangement. They are so striking that they are how the gyrosprinter got its name.
At times, gyrosprinters can conceal themselves in the high grass. When a predator launches itself at it, a gyrosprinter can react and immediately retreat.