Rating Every State's State Dinosaur

Rating Every State's State Dinosaur

Jacob Thrall
dinosaurs

As you may know, or I guess not, if you’re not from America, every U.S. state has the liberty of choosing its own symbols. That includes things as varied as:

  • A state motto.

  • A state flower.

  • A state mammal.

  • A state beverage.

  • A state dance.

  • A state sport.

I could go on, but you probably get the idea. Among all the different superlatives that a state can choose, one of them is this: they can pick out a state dinosaur. Only 14 places in the United States—one of them being Washington, D.C.—have chosen a state dinosaur. Today, I’m going to be going through each and every one and deciding whether I agree with it or not.

But first, let’s lay out some criteria. Here are the ways I’ll be weighing these dinosaurs:

  1. Is the dinosaur native to that state? This means a fossil has been found there, or other conclusive evidence of that dinosaur’s existence has been noted.

  2. Is the dinosaur somehow unique to that state? This doesn’t mean that the state has to be that dinosaur’s only habitat, but the state and the dinosaur should ideally have a connection extending beyond mere presence.

  3. What knowledge do we have about this dinosaur? It’s always nice to see an artist’s rendering, or at least some portion of a skeleton of a dinosaur. The more I know about your dino, the more I can appreciate you as a state.

  4. Does the dinosaur match the vibe of the state? For this, it’s really something that has to be felt, rather than seen.

I want to make a special note: in the above criteria, you did not see me mention anything about how scary, how intimidating, or how bad-to-the-bone (if you’ll excuse the joke) the dinosaur is. There are plenty of cute, small and herbivorous dinos worth our consideration. Now, let’s get into it! Going in alphabetical order, first, we have…

Arizona: Sonorasaurus thompsoni

As the name of this dinosaur suggests, it was first discovered in the Sonoran Desert of southern Arizona. It stood roughly 50 feet tall and 25 feet long. With a neck like that, it should come as no surprise that this was a herbivore. The process of discovering this dinosaur was just the tiniest bit fraught with misidentification and confusion, as sonorasaurus was misclassified twice before being given its own name. At the moment, we have one confirmed partial skeleton of this dinosaur, consisting apparently of “postcranial elements”, meaning everything but the cranium, or head.

This is a close ruling for me. To begin with, I really don’t like the fact that we don’t have a head for this dinosaur. The head in the illustration above really weirds me out, for some reason, and I need to know that the head is not…whatever that thing up there looks like. On the other hand, Sonorasaurus is an Arizona native, and has been documented nowhere else, which is nice. As for the vibe…I don’t know. I think the vibes aren’t the same, but they aren’t incompatible. I’m going to let Arizona keep its state dinosaur for now, but just know that you’re on thin ice.

Arkansas: Arkansaurus fridayi

Again, we’re off to a good start, seeing as this dinosaur has “Arkan-” in its name. And as the name would suggest, this dinosaur was first found in one state: Arkansas. Funnily enough, the person who discovered it, a gas station owner, found the bones initially because he saw a group of vultures flying around in the air above them. Could you imagine, as a vulture, spotting those ripe, ancient dinosaur bones? I have to imagine it’d be like a human enjoying an exquisitely aged cheese or wine. Anyway, that gas station owner’s last name was Friday, leading to the species name, Fridayi.

I think that nice little story qualifies as a strong enough connection, at least, to cover Criteria 1. As for number 2, let me add that the foot of an Arkansauruus fridayi is the only dinosaur bone ever known to have been found in the state of Arkansas. I think that’s an even deeper connection…one that meets my requirements. Add on the fact that this is just, a very Arkansas kind of dinosaur, and it becomes easy to see that this dino should stay.

California: Augustynolophus morrisi

Not much is known about this dinosaur, relatively speaking. It was a herbivore. The only place it’s ever been found is within California. It was discovered in 1939. It’s one of only three dinosaurs known to have lived on the present-day west coast of the United States.

Now, let me begin by saying this dinosaur—or at least this artist’s representation—kind of freaks me out. This thing looks absolutely ridiculous! It’s oddly long, it has vastly different color from one section to the next, and it looks like it couldn’t decide between being a cow, a horse, a wolf, or a toucan. Sounds like California to me! It stays.

Colorado: Stegosaurus armatus*

Let me just start by saying: yes, the stegosaurus is an incredibly popular and well-known dinosaur. It has some exceptionally well-preserved and assembled skeletons. As far as species under the genus Stegosaurus, armatus was the first species described, all the way back in the late 1800s, in what’s known as the “Bone Wars”, but that’s a story for another time. That name, armatus, has since fallen out of favor; thus, the asterisk by the dinosaur’s name above. (note: we’re going to be seeing a lot more of that.)

As you may have guessed, given its widespread popularity, this is not a dinosaur in any way unique to Colorado. It’s had fossils discovered in Colorado, yes, but also in Wyoming, Utah, and others. It’s also way too famous for it to have any meaningful, interesting link to Colorado in particular. It’s a cool dinosaur, but it’s got to go.

But one more side note: see the four spikes arranged at a kind of 90-degree angle to each other on the tip of the stegosaurus’ tail in that image? There’s a word for that specific arrangement of spikes on a dinosaur. It’s called a “thagomizer". I love that word. Why don’t states have official words?

Connecticut: Dilophosaurus

Don’t be alarmed; this is not an HD photo of a living dinosaur. It’s a recreation from Dinosaur World in Florida! …So why is this the state dinosaur of Connecticut? It’s extremely convoluted. First, you need to realize, like I did, that a state can have both a state dinosaur and a state fossil, and that they can be different things. The state fossil of Connecticut is a type of fossilized dinosaur footprints known as Eubrontes, which is thought to have been potentially left by Dilophosaurus. Those tracks have been found in Connecticut. To my knowledge, a Dilophosaurus fossil never has.

I’m going to skip the already brief overview of the dinosaur in question and get straight to the point: this is not a dinosaur that Connecticut is going to be keeping. This is an extremely vague, if not nonexistent, connection; I expect much better from the state with the word “connect” in its literal name! Even if this were a Connecticut-vibe dinosaur—which this isn’t—I wouldn’t let it stay. Let’s move on.

Washington, D.C.: “Capitalsaurus”

“Capitalsaurus” by Charles W. Gilmore is in the public domain.

Something you may have noticed in this post is that I’ve been italicizing the names of dinosaur genera and species. That’s because it’s common practice in scientific literature, and all science writing, generally, to do so. The primary reason to do so is to allow readers to quickly find the scientific names of organisms while skimming a written work. Now, you may also have noticed that this one, “Capitalsaurus” is not italicized, and is in fact in quotation marks.

That’s because this so-called dinosaur is, in my view, entirely illegitimate and a little bit insulting, even, to actual paleontologists and their work. The only evidence of the existence of a “Capitalsaurus” was a singular piece of a vertebra discovered in Washington, D.C. in the midst of plumbing work. It’s believed by many professionals that the fossil is not that of a unique dinosaur, but a tough to categorize bit of an already known one. In any case, this is an absolutely contemptible sham of an official dinosaur. I’d be embarrassed if I lived in Washington, D.C. and knew that this thing was my official dinosaur. It must be removed at all costs.

Massachusetts: Podokesaurus holyokensis

This is an interesting case. At first glance, this dinosaur seems perfectly normal and acceptable. It’s suspected to be a carnivore, which is alright. It can run somewhere in the range of 9-12mph, which is right on par with most humans. It actually looks a little bit like a bird, and has similarly hollow bones, which some scientists have pointed out as a potential link between dinosaurs, flying animals, and later, birds. The first fossil of it was, helpfully, discovered in Massachusetts. Another point!

Everything so far has checked out when it comes to this dinosaur. What is there that’s holding this guy back?

Well, you might want to take a look at this.

“Podokesaurus Scale” by Slate Weasel is in the public domain.

Yes, P. holyokensis was perhaps 18 inches tall, 45 inches long, and just about 80 pounds, and that’s if you go with the most generous estimates. This dinosaur is tiny, and comically so. For that reason, I’d like to enthusiastically accept it as the official state dinosaur of Massachusetts. I know it’s extinct now, but I just want to look at Podokesaurus and say: keep on living your best life.

Maryland: Astrodon johnstoni

A. johnstoni is a large-scale herbivore, reaching about 30 feet into the air. It also has the benefit of up to 60 feet of length. As you may be able to tell, this dinosaur is a relative of the better-known Brachiosaurus. This guy was first discovered in 1858, in Maryland—which is nice—but the story of how it got its name, both in genus and species, is absolutely captivating to me.

You see, as far as species naming conventions go, it’s not uncommon at all for the first person to discover them to have their name adapted into the species’ name. You’d think, then, that the person who first found these fossils was name Johnston, but that’d be incorrect. In fact, Astrodon was first seen by John D. Latchford, a mine owner who came across the bones in his work. “Johnston”, or rather Christopher Johnston, is the person who ended up with them, because of two things: 1) the bones in question were teeth, and 2) Johnston was a dentist. I personally find this hilarious; we couldn’t get a real paleontologist here, so let’s give the 100+ million year old teeth to the local dentist‽ But, anyway, once he had them, Johnston had the bright idea of breaking these priceless relics open. Upon cutting the teeth in half, he saw a characteristic star-shaped cross section, leading later researchers to assign this dinosaur the name “Astrodon johnstoni”. I think that’s wonderful. This dinosaur is going to have to stay.

Missouri: Parrosaurus missouriensis*

As indicated by the asterisk above, this dinosaur’s name has changed many times. What the consensus seems to be on now, and what I’ll be calling this dinosaur, is Hypsibema missouriensis. This dinosaur is the only one to ever have been found in Missouri, which experts claim is astounding on its own, considering Missouri’s very soft soil that would typically wear away any fossil. It’s roughly 10 feet tall and 30-35 feet long. Although it’s not a carnivore, it has an astounding number of teeth—roughly one thousand—indicating that the vegetation of Missouri was quite rough at the time.

As for my criteria, we’re doing alright. A Missouri native, some interesting facts…I’m just not sure that H. missouriensis is the perfect fit. So long as the wrong name is listed at the state dinosaur, I don’t think it can stay. Update the official record to match current scientific consensus and I suppose you can keep it for a while longer.

New Jersey: Hadrosaurus foulkii

untitled by John Donges is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.

H. foulkii is unique from other dinosaurs in a number of ways. To start with, it was the first dinosaur species found in North America that consisted of more than a few teeth. This dinosaur is also quite well-preserved in the fossil record, which is always an asset. And additionally, this dinosaur was the first ever dinosaur to be mounted. The only drawback: there’s only one known specimen of this species of dinosaur, making any research quite tough.

This species of dinosaur is estimated to have been about 25 feet long on average, and weigh somewhere in the range of one to two tons. That’s very impressive. Although the initial mounting of this dinosaur presented it as a bipedal creature, it’s believed today that it was a quadruped, like most other dinosaurs. It was first discovered in New Jersey, and it’s thought to have lived about 80 million years ago.

This is a run-of-the-mill, standard-issue dinosaur. There’s nothing astounding about it. It’s big, it’s impressive, it’s a little scary. I’m not sure if it’s Jersey, per se, but I know a quintessential state dinosaur when I see one. New Jersey is setting a good example for us of rational, respectable dino-picking. It stays, of course.

Oklahoma: Acrocanthosaurus atokensis

Slow your roll, Oklahoma. You think you’re going to be able to keep this dinosaur, just because it’s big and carnivorous? Not likely. For one, A. atokensis remains have been found in Oklahoma, Texas, Wyoming, and a whole host of other U.S. states, indicating a continent-dominating creature. This is an apex predator we’re dealing with, although it’s not quite the size of world-famous creatures like T. rex.

So no. You can’t have this one, Oklahoma, because there’s absolutely nothing Oklahoman about this dinosaur. In fact, the picture above was taken at a museum in North Carolina! Were there ever to be a national dinosaur, I’d happily support this one, but come on, Oklahoma. I know you can do better than this.

Texas: Paluxysaurus jonesi*

“Sauroposeidon dinosaur” by LadyofHats is in the public domain.

Again, we have a dinosaur whose scientific name has changed with time. This dinosaur is better known today as Sauroposeidon proteles. What’s most important to note immediately about this dinosaur are its dimensions; it’s nearly 70 feet tall, over 100 feet long, and somewhere between 40-60 tons, depending on who you ask. That makes it a very strong contender for the tallest dinosaur ever. As with many of the tallest dinosaurs in history, this one was a herbivore.

That’s where the assets stop and the liabilities begin. Unfortunately, I have to tell you that this dinosaur was first discovered, technically, in Oklahoma. See, Oklahoma? A perfectly valid choice right here! It was given its name based on “sauropod”, the type of dinosaur it is, and “Poseidon”, the Greek god of the sea who was also heavily associated with earthquakes—i.e., the earth moves when this dinosaur walks.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Just like before, we have a fantastic dinosaur on our hands. But it’s not the right fit for Texas. It was discovered in Oklahoma. It’s the largest dinosaur, but Texas isn’t the largest state. It’s not you, S. proteles, it’s Texas. I’m sorry, but you need to leave.

Utah: Utahraptor ostrommaysorum*

Now, this name is an interesting case. The state of Utah chose…that name written up there, but that’s not the correct way to write it. The name of the dinosaur hasn’t changed…it's just been incorrectly pluralized. What it should say is: Utahraptor ostrommaysi. But for some reason, people look at that name, think that it’s plural, and then invent the incorrect singular form “ostrommayorsum”. It’s weird and wrong. The plural is the same as the singular.

Anyway, we have a nice, charismatic-seeming bipedal carnivore. It was probably 15 feet long, 6-7 feet tall, and weighed something like 600 pounds. Think of a polar bear on two legs with a long tail. Actually don’t—that’s a useless mental image.

Of course this dinosaur is going to be staying! It fits Utah excellently. And above all else, I don’t want to alienate the fans and players of the Odgen Raptors, an independent baseball team operating out of Ogden, Utah. I’m not sure they could handle losing such a critical piece of their insignia.

Wyoming: Triceratops horridus

This isn’t anything we haven’t seen before. A world-famous dinosaur, initally found in Wyoming, yes, but also located in Montana, South Dakota, Colorado, and others. You know Triceratops. About 10 feet tall, almost 30 feet long, and surpassing 10 tons. It’s got those iconic horns on the front.

There’s not much else I can say. Just like before, this is just too good of a dinosaur to keep as one state’s icon. Wyoming, you’re going to have to let this one go.

And there you have it! Some states’ state dinosaurs are legitimate. Others are not. And now we know the difference.

Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you around!

Title image credit: “Dinosaurs!” by David Kryzaniak is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

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