This is a list of U.S. state dinosaurs in the United States, including the District of Columbia. Many states also have dinosaurs as state fossils, or designate named avian dinosaurs (List of U.S. state birds), but this list only includes those that have been officially designated as "state dinosaurs".
State or Territory | Dinosaur | Image | Year |
---|---|---|---|
Arizona | Sonorasaurus thompsoni | 2018 [1] | |
Arkansas | Arkansaurus fridayi | 2017 [2] | |
California | Augustynolophus morrisi | 2017 [3] | |
Colorado | Stegosaurus sp. | 1982 [4] | |
Connecticut | Dilophosaurus sp. | 2017-07-10 [5] | |
Delaware | Dryptosaurus aquilunguis | 2022 [6] [7] | |
District of Columbia | "Capitalsaurus" | 1998 [8] | |
Idaho | Oryctodromeus cubicularis | 2023 [9] | |
Massachusetts | Podokesaurus holyokensis | 2021 [10] [11] | |
Maryland | Astrodon johnstoni | 1998 [12] | |
Missouri | Parrosaurus missouriensis | 2004 [13] [14] | |
New Jersey | Hadrosaurus foulkii | 1991 [15] | |
Oklahoma | Acrocanthosaurus atokensis | 2006 [16] | |
Texas | Sauroposeidon proteles (originally Paluxysaurus jonesi) | 2009 (replaced Pleurocoelus which was state dinosaur 1997–2009) [17] | |
Utah | Utahraptor ostrommaysorum | 2018 [18] | |
Washington | "Suciasaurus rex" | 2023 [19] | |
Wyoming | Triceratops horridus | 1994 [20] | |
This is for dinosaurs that were or are candidates for state dinosaur but either were not designated or have yet to officially be.
State | Dinosaur | Image | Year | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
Arizona | Dilophosaurus wetherilli | 1998 [21] [22] | Vetoed when it was revealed fossils were illegally taken from Navajo Nation [23] | |
Massachusetts | Anchisaurus polyzelus | 2021 [24] | Lost to Podokesaurus in a poll taken prior to bill [10] |
U.S. states, districts, and territories have representative symbols that are recognized by their state legislatures, territorial legislatures, or tradition. Some, such as flags, seals, and birds have been created or chosen by all U.S. polities, while others, such as state crustaceans, state mushrooms, and state toys have been chosen by only a few.
The Morrison Formation is a distinctive sequence of Upper Jurassic sedimentary rock found in the western United States which has been the most fertile source of dinosaur fossils in North America. It is composed of mudstone, sandstone, siltstone, and limestone and is light gray, greenish gray, or red. Most of the fossils occur in the green siltstone beds and lower sandstones, relics of the rivers and floodplains of the Jurassic period.