Each state in the US 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. Most states' official dinosaurs were chosen because of fossils that were discovered in those states. The stegosaurus is Colorado’s official dinosaur, Maryland’s is the herbivore astrodon, and Missouri claims the Hypsibema missouriensis. The duck-billed hadrosaurus is New Jersey’s dinosaur, and Oklahoma chose the acrocanthosaurus. Texas’s Paluxysaurus jonesi state dinosaur is thought to be the tallest known, and Wyoming’s triceratops was selected by elementary school children as part of a contest.
More about state symbols:
- In 2001, Utah selected Jell-O® as its official state snack. The state has the highest Jell-O® consumption per capita in the world.
- The official state toy of Pennsylvania is the Slinky®. Only two other states have official toys: Kansas has the Etch a Sketch®, and Missouri has the teddy bear.
- In 1962, Maryland became the first state to have an official state sport: jousting.