Some US states have official state dinosaurs, usually species whose fossils or footprints have been found in the state. State symbols enhance patriotism, and the adoption process is lengthy. Not every state has a state dinosaur or fossil, and symbols are chosen based on the state’s assets and attributes.
A state dinosaur is a dinosaur that has been officially adopted as a symbol of that specific state. In some cases, dinosaurs are official state fossils, and only a few of the US states have official state dinosaurs. They are usually species of dinosaur whose footprints or fossils have been found in the state.
Dinosaurs, now extinct, were huge prehistoric creatures that roamed the earth. Fossil discoveries help scientists piece together an earth’s history, and the discovery of dinosaur fossils is greeted with great excitement among the scientific fraternity. In most cases, the official state dinosaur for a state is adopted because fossilized bones or fossilized footprints of that specific dinosaur have been discovered somewhere in the state.
While many states have adopted dinosaurs as their official state fossils, some states have an official state dinosaur. These include Wyoming, with Triceratops horridus, and Maryland, with Astrodon johnstoni. The Texas state dinosaur, which was named Pleurocoelus in 1997, was renamed in 2007, when the bones and footprints were reidentified as Paluxysaurus Jonesi.
State emblems and symbols play an important role in enhancing patriotism among the citizens of a state, as does the state motto. As with any chosen state symbol, emblem, or motto, recognition and adoption of a state’s state dinosaur requires a lengthy administrative process before it becomes official. The 1991 adoption of New Jersey’s state dinosaur, Hadrosaurus foulkii, is the result of three years of lobbying by Joyce Berry, a fourth-grade teacher at Strawbridge Elementary in Haddon Township. She, with a few students of hers, and with the help of two local Assemblymen, went through the entire legislative process. It was with much excitement that they watched Governor Jim Florio in June 1991 sign the official papers.
Not every state has a state dinosaur or state fossil. In some states the state fossil is a dinosaur and in others there is neither a state dinosaur nor a fossil. Each US state is known for different assets and attributes and their state symbols are chosen accordingly. In most cases the most recognizable state symbols are the flag, the song and the motto. Most states will also designate a state animal, bird, and flower.
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