The gilded nodopotamus (Nodopotamus aureus) is the smallest of the nodopotamids, a denizen of the lakes and rivers of western North America.  Like other nodopotamids, this two-meter herbivore feeds primarily on aquatic plants, cropping riperine vegitation or scraping algae off rocks with its flattened beak.
 
    The gilded nodopotamus is not only unsual in its size, but also its habits, which are far more terrestrial than most of its kin.  While these nodopotami do spend much of their time in the water, they are also quite fleet-footed, with proportionaly long and powerful legs to support them on land.  Gilded nodopotami are often seen out of water and grazing off soft plants in forests, especially during winter, when the lakes and rivers have started to freeze.