Missouri Has A State Dinosaur? I Didn’t Know And Now Name Has Changed
All states have a state flag, a state flower, and a state bird. I remember doing a report in 5th grade about the state of Rhode Island and finding that info. Be honest. How many of you were aware that the state of Missouri had a state Dinosaur? I didn't know either. Had zero idea. Apparently we do.
Well now that that fact is out of the way, you might be interested to know that our Missouri House has updated the name of our state dinosaur to be more scientifically accurate. The dinosaur is currently referred to in state law as Hypsibema missouriensis. Rep. Tracy McCreery, D-Olivette, successfully offered an amendment to House Bill 1629 that would change the name to Parrosaurus missouriensis if the bill passes the House and Senate.
You can get more details by clicking HERE. For the record, I Googled "Do all states have a state dinosaur" and as it turns out, there are 9 states (and Washington D.C) that have state dinosaurs. They are Arizona, Arkansas, California, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wyoming. 6 have state fossils that happen to be dinosaurs (Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, South Dakota, Utah and Oklahoma). There is a change that Massachusetts will have one too.
I guess in some respects I am not surprised that the Show Me State has one. There is something about dinosaurs that are so fascinating. Perhaps that is why the Jurassic Park movie franchise has been so popular. There is a saying. "You learn something new every day". So if you have just found out that we have a state dinosaur...you are welcome!
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Gallery Credit: Nicole Caldwell