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Official State Fossils

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Official fossils listed by adoption year. (List by state or year)
State Name Designated as YearList by adoption year
Nebraska Mammoth Official State fossil 1967
North Dakota Teredo Petrified Wood (Shipworm-bored petrified wood) Official fossil 1967
California Sabre-toothed Cat (Smilodon californicus) Official State Fossil 1973
Georgia Shark tooth Official Georgia state fossil 1976
Louisiana Petrified Palmwood Official State fossil 1976
Nevada Ichthyosaur (Shonisaurus popularis) Official State fossil 1977
Massachusetts Dinosaur Track Fossil of fossil emblem 1980
Mississippi Prehistoric Whales (Basilosaurus cetoides & Zygorhiza) Official fossil 1981
New Mexico Coelophysis Dinosaur (Coelophysis bauri) Official fossil 1981
Colorado Stegasaurus (Plated dinosaur) Official state fossil 1982
Alabama Basilosaurus cetoides (Whale) Official State of Alabama fossil 1984
New York Sea Scorpion (Eurypterus remipes) Official fossil 1984
Maine Pertica quadrifaria Official fossil 1985
Montana Duck-billed Dinosaur (Maiasaura peeblesorum) Official Montatna State fossil 1985
Ohio Trilobite (Isotelus) Official invertebrate Fossil 1985
Alaska Woolly Mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) Official state fossil 1986
Kentucky Brachiopod State fossil 1986
Wisconsin Trilobite (Calymene celebra) State fossil 1986
Wyoming Knightia (Fish) State fossil 1987
Arizona Petrified Wood (Araucarioxylon arizonicum) Official state fossil 1988
Idaho Hagerman Horse Fossil (Equus simplicidens) State fossil 1988
Pennsylvania Phacops rana (Trilobite) Official State fossil 1988
South Dakota Triceratops (Horned dinosaur) Official fossil 1988
Utah Allosaurus (Theropod dinosaur) State fossil 1988
Illinois The Tully Monster (Tullimonstrum gregarium) Official State fossil 1989
Missouri Fossilized remains of Crinoidea (Delocrinus missouriensis) Official State fossil 1989
Connecticut Dinosaur footprints of Eubrontes giganteus State fossil 1991
Virginia Chesapecten jeffersonius (Bivalve scallop) Official fossil 1993
Maryland Ecphora gardnerae gardnerae (Snail) State fossil shell 1994
Delaware Belemnite (Belemnitella americana) Official State fossil 1996
Tennessee Pterotrigonia thoracica (Bivalve mollusk) Official fossil 1998
Washington Columbian Mammoth (Mammuthus columbi) Official fossil 1998
Oklahoma Saurophaganax maximus (Theropod dinosaur) State fossil 2000
Michigan Mastodon (Mammut americanum) Official fossil 2002
Oregon Metasequoia Official fossil 2005
West Virginia Megalonyx Jeffersonnii State fossil 2008
Texas Paluxysaurus jonesi Official Lone Star State Dinosaur 2009
North CarolinaFossilized teeth of the megalodon shark Official fossil 2013
Kansas Pteranodon Official flying fossil of the state of Kansas 2014
Kansas Tylosaurus Official marine fossil of the state of Kansas 2014
South Carolina Columbian mammoth Official State Fossil of South Carolina 2014
Vermont White whale fossilized skeleton State fossil
State marine fossil
1993
2014
Vermont Mount Holly mammoth tooth and tusk State terrestrial fossil 1993
2014
Arkansas [ None ]    
Florida [ None ]    
Hawaii [ None ]    
Indiana [ None ]    
Iowa [ None ]    
Minnesota [ None ]    
New Hampshire [ None ]    
Rhode Island [ None ]    
Stately Fossils: A Comprehensive Look at the State Fossils and Other Official Fossils

Stately Fossils: A Comprehensive Look at the State Fossils and Other Official Fossils, by Steve Brusatte. 234 pages. Publisher: Fossil News (September 2002)

The definitive stories of how our state fossils, state dinosaurs and other state stones and gems were proposed and selected. And what a marvelous array of specimens and species have been elevated to such lofty status! We note that 'stately fossils' run the gamut of variety and time. From trilobites and brachiopods through fossil whales (Tully) monsters, and so many incredible species in between, spanning the three Phanerozoic eras. Steve has traced the story of how fossils became "the" state fossils all the way back to an early period in the emerging science of paleontology in America. In these unfolding tales, Steve relates many intriguing details concerning the adoption of fossils carrying special significance in 44 of our 50 states. This book is written clearly & informatively. It succeeds as a book that both young & old can enjoy. For each entry Steve describes the history of discoveries of each fossil, the occurrence and paleoecology pf the species and circumstances leading toward legislation of the fossils as the official "state fossils."

Fossils

Fossils, by David Ward. 320 pages. Publisher: Dorling Kindersley (September 1, 2010) A new edition of the clearest, most authoritative guide to rocks, minerals and fossils you will find.

Packed with more than 1,000 amazing photographs of over 500 species, this handbook is designed to cut through the complicated identification process and enable you to recognize species instantly. Covers everything from what a fossil is, how they are classified to how to start a collection.

Perfect for fossil lovers - a comprehensive guide for collectors.