Sapient Hypsilophodon

Hypsilophodon (meaning "Hypsilophus-tooth") is an ornithopod dinosaur genus from the Early Cretaceous periodof England.

The first remains of Hypsilophodon were found in 1849 and in 1869 the type species Hypsilophodon foxii was named. Abundant fossil discoveries were made on the Isle of Wight, giving a good impression of the build of the species. It was a small bipedal animal with an herbivorous or possibly omnivorous diet. Hypsilophodon reached up to 1.8 metres (5.9 ft) in length and was about 70 kilogrammes heavy. It could run fast. It had a pointed head equipped with a sharp beak to bite off plant material.

Older studies have given rise to number of misconceptions about Hypsilophodon: that it would climb trees, be armoured, reach a length of 2.3 metres and also be found outside of Wight. During the past decades new research has gradually shown this to be incorrect.