Hopper

Found in the deserts (sandhoppers) and the mountains (rockhoppers), these small lizards are common food animals in the Badlands. When they are born, sandhoppers are a pale beige; they turn to the adult ochre after three seasons. The rockhoppers are born with a pale gray hide that turns to the standard dark gray with age.

Sandhoppers and rockhoppers are herbivorous and pose little threat to humans. Many Badlanders use them as pets the way Earthers do with cats and dogs. Most Badlanders remember happy days as a child chasing hoppers across the landscape. Hoppers are normally trapped rather than hunted. Their hides are often used to manufacture purses, leather jackets and even cloaks. Many homesteaders raise “flocks” of hoppers in their backyards; their high rate of reproduction and minimal food requirements make them the perfect candidate to serve as the Terranovan equivalent of chicken.