Seven US states have official state dinosaurs, chosen based on fossils found in those states. Colorado’s stegosaurus, Maryland’s astrodon, and Missouri’s Hypsibema missouriensis are among them. Other states have official snacks, toys, and sports.
Every state in the United States has a list of official symbols representative of that state’s identity, and there are seven that even have official state dinosaurs: Colorado, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wyoming. The official dinosaurs of most states were chosen because of the fossils discovered in those states. The stegosaurus is Colorado’s official dinosaur, Maryland’s is the herbivorous astrodon, and Missouri supports Hypsibema missouriensis. The duck-billed hadrosaur is New Jersey’s dinosaur, and Oklahoma’s chosen acrocanthosaurus. The Paluxysaurus jonesi state dinosaur of Texas is thought to be the tallest known, and the Triceratops of Wyoming was selected by elementary school children as part of a contest.
Learn more about status symbols:
In 2001, Utah selected Jell-O® as the state’s official snack. The state has the highest per capita consumption of Jell-O® in the world.
The official state toy of Pennsylvania is the Slinky®. Only two other states have official toys: Kansas has Etch a Sketch® and Missouri has Teddy.
In 1962, Maryland became the first state to have an official sport: jousting.
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