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In
response to overwhelming (?) paleontological interest, D.I.G.
is pleased to present an exhaustive, if not exhausting, list of the official
fossil and/or dino of each and every state in the good ol' US of A. (except
for the ones that we couldn't find out yet). And, hey, if you are the governor
of a state without an official dino, get on the stick, okay? We
finally have all 50 states so far! Two states (Washington and Hawaii) don't
have any dino fossils at all! Poor Washington. Hawaii at least has coconuts.
So
without further ado... here it is! Oh, if you can fill in any of the blanks,
please let
us
know!
Do
any countries have official dinos and fossils?
Anybody know?
Also
-- and we're wrapping up here -- what do you think of those cute little
animated map thingies?
Do
you like them? We're not sure.
| State | "Official" Dinosaur (Year) | "Official" Fossil (Year) |
| Alabama | Basilosaurus cetoides (formerly Zeuglodon cetoides).Eocene archaeocete whale, (1984) | |
| Alaska | Mammuthus primigenius (Woolly Mammoth ) (1986) | |
| Arizona | Araucarioxylon arizonicum (Petrified wood) (1986) | |
Arkansas  |
Arkansaurus fridayi - 1972 | Cephalopod (Rayonnaoceras fayettevillenese) Unofficial |
| California | Smilodon fatalis (formerly & for political purposes, Smilodon californicus) (Sabertooth Cat) (1973) Link with picture | |
Colorado  |
Stegosaurus stenops (1991) | |
|
City of Fruita
|
Ceratosaurus | |
Connecticut  |
Theropod footprints (Eubrontes giganteus) (1991) | |
| Delaware | Belemnitella americana -Late Cretaceous belemnite (mollusc) | |
District of Columbia  |
Capitalsaurus (June 10, 1998) | |
| Florida | No known dinosaur fossils. Start looking! Disney World doesn't count. | sea urchin, Eupatagus antillarum, Eocene |
| Georgia | Prehistoric Shark tooth Carcharadon megalodon (1976) | |
Guam  |
Apatosaurus - Year ?? (cf Wikipedia) | |
| Hawaii | No known dinosaur fossils (Volcanic Islands) | No known "official" fossils. There are cave faunas, probably from the lava tubes: probably Pleistocene and potentially as old as Miocene. |
| Idaho | Equus simplicidens Hagerman horse fossil (1988) | |
| Illinois | No Mesozoic rocks believed to be in this state so there are probably no dinos (except in museums). | Tullimonstrum gregarium (Tully Monster) (1990) Link |
| Indiana | No Mesozoic rocks believed to be in this state so there are probably no dinos (except in museums). | Crinoid (Cyathocrinites multibrachiatus) Proposed |
| Iowa | Crinoid (unofficial) | |
| Kansas | Mosasaur (Un-named species) (Unoffical) (not quite a dinosaur, also, but kewl anyway) | Crinoid (Un-named species) (Unofficial) |
| Kentucky | Brachiopods? | |
| Louisiana | Petrified palmwood (1976) Reference | |
| Maine | Pertica quadrifaria - a Devonian plant(1985) | |
Maryland  |
Official -- Astrodon
(cf. Pleurocoelus altus Marsh) johnstoni as of October 1, 1998 Link
Gregory Paul Drawing |
Ecphora gardinere (formerly Ecphora quadricostata) (Miocene gastropod) (1984) |
Massachusetts  |
Theropod footprints (1980) | |
| Michigan | No Mesozoic rocks believed to be in this state so there are probably no dinos (except in museums). | Petoskey stone (fossilized coral) |
| Minnesota | Southern Minnesota has no known Mesozoic fossils (destroyed by glasicers) and only limited Cretaceous Fossils. Makes finding dinos a little difficult! | Casturoides ohioensis (Giant Beaver)
[proposed 1988]
Rynchotrema [also proposed: 1988] |
| Mississippi | Eocene Archaeocete cetaceans (Zygorhiza kochi and Basilosaurus cetoides) Prehistoric Whale (1981) | |
| Missouri | Delocrinus missouriensis (Crinoid) (1989) | |
Montana  |
Maiasaura peeblesorum (1985) | |
| Nebraska | Mammoth (March 1,1967) Mammuthus imperator mailbeni | |
| Nevada | Shonisaurus popularis (Berlin Ichthyosaur) (1977) | |
| New Hampshire | Brachiopod (based on a greatly distorted, un-named specifmen found in metamorphic rock!) Unofficial | |
New Jersey  |
Hadrosaurus folki (Hadrosaur) (June, 1991) Official Website | |
| New Mexico | Coelophysis bauri (Coelophysis ) (Ghost Ranch Quarry) (1981) | |
| New York | A group has proposed that New York name an official dinosaur fossil in 1998, but no action has been taken. | Eurypterus remipes (Eurypterid, a "sea scorpion") (1984) It's about 8 inches long or less. |
| North Carolina | ||
| North Dakota | Teredo petrified wood (1967) | |
| Ohio | No Mesozoic rocks believed to be in this state so there are probably no dinos (except in museums). | Invertebrate: Isotelus maximus
(Isotelus gigas)(a
BIG Trilobite) (September 19, 1985) Link
Vertebrate (candidate): Dunkelosteous |
Oklahoma  |
Saurophaganax
(a close relative of Allosaurus) (2000) Link
Picture |
|
| Oregon | ||
| Pennsylvania | Phacops rana (Trilobite ) (1988) | |
| Rhode Island | ||
| South Carolina | ||
South Dakota  |
Triceratops prorsus | |
| Tennessee | Linotrigonia thoracica [or] Pterotrigonia thoracica, a small, late Cretaceous, clam [proposed] | |
Texas  |
Brachiosaur Sauropod, Pleurocoelus sp., Cretaceous. Link | Petrified Palmwood (1969), this fossil is listed as the state's "official stone" |
Utah  |
Allosaurus fragilis (1988) | Coal (1991) - this "fossil" fuel is listed as Utah's "official rock" |
| Vermont | Whale (unoffically a fossilized skeleton at University of Vermont Perkins Geology Museum) Charlotte, The Vermont Whale (beluga whale), Delphinapterus leucas, Pleistocene | |
| Virginia | Chesapecten jeffersonius (an extinct Pliocene scallop) Pelecypod; Pliocene. Named for Thomas Jefferson. | |
| Washington | No documented finds of dinosaur fossils. Terrestrial Cretaceous sediments are extremely limited, best likelihood in the Methow Valley. So start looking! | Weds,
25 Mar 1998
The Washington State Legislature has designated the Columbian mammoth (Mammuthus COLUMBI) as the official fossil of the state of Washington. (still no dinosaurs). The Governor is scheduled to sign the bill at 4:00 p.m.. Aha! Turns out there are fossils! Just no official ones. Petrified Wood (1975) --> Ginkgo (from Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park) Although not listed as an "official fossil", this fossil is listed as the state's "official gem" because the petrified wood is often cut and polished for jewelry. |
| West Virginia | Coral (Lithostrotianella) Official (No Date known) | |
| Wisconsin | Calymene celebras (Trilobite) (1985) | |
Wyoming  |
Triceratops(Triceratops horridus) (March 18, 1994) Link | Knightia (fossil herring fish from the Green River Formation) (February 18, 1987) |
We don't know of any
official dinosaurs outside of the 
United
States, but there are some countries with no dinosaur fossils at all!
Alberta, Canada
At this time, Alberta does not have an official dinosaur.
The provincial fossil is Petrified Wood and the official gemstone is ammolite
(the gemstone made from the shell of ammonites). 5/27/2001
Ontario, Canada
has no known dinosaur fossils. The area is much too
recent geologically. Those glaciers! Wiping everything out again. Grrrr.
Iceland has
no known fossils.
Pacific Islands Any small island with a volcanic origin more
recent than 65 million years ago will not, by definition, have any dinosaur
fossils. There must be sedimentary rock to preserve fossils, and lava doesn't
exactly fit the definition!
