Guide Symbols Symbols & Culture Updated May 30, 2026

State Fossils of All 50 States

Artsiom Dusau Reviewed by Artsiom Dusau
Official U.S. state fossils, prehistoric creatures and plants designated by U.S. states

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Editorial Summary
  1. 1

    State fossils are official prehistoric symbols designated by state legislatures, separate from state dinosaurs and state stones. Nebraska and North Dakota were the first to act, both in 1967; 44 states have designated one as of 2026.

  2. 2

    Six states still lack an official state fossil: Arkansas, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, New Hampshire, and Texas. Several have state dinosaurs but no state fossil.

  3. 3

    The mammoth is the most popular choice: eight states have designated a mammoth or mastodon. Kansas is the only state with two official state fossils adopted in the same year, a flying reptile and a marine reptile, both from 2014.

  4. 4

    Rhode Island adopted its state fossil (the trilobite) in 2023, making it the most recent designation. Minnesota adopted the giant beaver in 2025.

Map

U.S. State Fossils

U.S. State Fossils
State State Fossil
Alabama Basilosaurus Whale
Alaska Woolly Mammoth
Arizona Petrified Wood
Arkansas None designated
California Saber-Toothed Cat
Colorado Stegosaurus
Connecticut Dinosaur Tracks
Delaware Belemnite
Florida None designated
Georgia Shark Tooth
Hawaii None designated
Idaho Hagerman Horse
Illinois Tully Monster
Indiana American Mastodon
Iowa None designated
Kansas Pteranodon & Tylosaurus
Kentucky Brachiopod
Louisiana Petrified Palmwood
Maine Pertica Plant
Maryland Ecphora Shell
Massachusetts Dinosaur Tracks
Michigan American Mastodon
Minnesota Giant Beaver
Mississippi Prehistoric Whale
Missouri Sea Lily
Montana Maiasaura
Nebraska Mammoth
Nevada Ichthyosaur
New Hampshire None designated
New Jersey Hadrosaurus
New Mexico Coelophysis
New York Sea Scorpion
North Carolina Megalodon Tooth
North Dakota Petrified Wood (Teredo)
Ohio Trilobite & Dunkleosteus
Oklahoma Saurophaganax
Oregon Dawn Redwood
Pennsylvania Trilobite
Rhode Island Trilobite
South Carolina Columbian Mammoth
South Dakota Triceratops
Tennessee Pterotrigonia Bivalve
Texas None designated
Utah Allosaurus
Vermont Beluga Whale & Woolly Mammoth
Virginia Chesapecten Scallop
Washington Columbian Mammoth
West Virginia Jefferson's Ground Sloth
Wisconsin Trilobite
Wyoming Knightia

Nebraska and North Dakota designated state fossils first in 1967. Rhode Island (2023) and Minnesota (2025) are the most recent. Six states have no official designation.

List of US State Fossils

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State Fossils of All 50 States

State fossils are official prehistoric symbols designated by state legislatures. Nebraska and North Dakota were the first to act in 1967; Rhode Island was the most recent in 2023. Most designations came during the 1980s, following heightened public interest in paleontology and major fossil discoveries across the American West.

Designated species reflect each state's paleontological heritage. Utah named the Allosaurus because over 60 specimens came from a single Utah quarry. Wyoming chose Knightia because thousands of these fossil fish are recovered from the Green River Formation. Montana designated Maiasaura because one of the first dinosaur nesting sites on record was found there in the 1970s.

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States Without an Official Fossil

Six states have not designated an official state fossil as of 2026. Arkansas has Arkansaurus fridayi as its state dinosaur but no state fossil. Florida's agatized coral is the state stone but has never been officially reclassified as a state fossil. Hawaii's volcanic geology makes fossils rare, and the legislature has not designated any.

Iowa's crinoid proposal in 2018 never passed. New Hampshire considered the American mastodon in 2015 without final action. Texas has Sauroposeidon proteles as its state dinosaur and petrified Palmoxylon as its state stone (technically a fossil), but no formal state fossil designation exists.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which state was the first to designate a state fossil?
Nebraska and North Dakota were tied as the first, both designating state fossils in 1967. Nebraska chose the woolly mammoth; North Dakota chose Teredo petrified wood, shipworm-bored fossil wood from the Paleocene period.
How many states have an official state fossil?
As of 2026, 44 states have an official state fossil. Six states have not designated one: Arkansas, Florida, Hawaii, Iowa, New Hampshire, and Texas. Some of these have state dinosaurs or state stones that are technically fossils.
What is the most popular state fossil?
The mammoth or mastodon is the most popular choice, designated by eight states: Alaska (woolly mammoth), Indiana and Michigan (mastodon), Minnesota (giant beaver, 2025), Nebraska (three mammoth species), South Carolina and Washington (Columbian mammoth), and Vermont (woolly mammoth, state terrestrial fossil).
What is the most recently designated state fossil?
Rhode Island designated the trilobite as its state fossil in 2023, making it the most recent designation. Minnesota designated the giant beaver (Castoroides ohioensis) in 2025.
What state has two official state fossils?
Several states have two. Kansas designated the Pteranodon (flying fossil) and Tylosaurus (marine fossil) in 2014. Ohio has the trilobite (1985) and Dunkleosteus (2021). Vermont has a state marine fossil (beluga whale, 1993) and a state terrestrial fossil (woolly mammoth, 2014).
Is a state fossil the same as a state dinosaur?
No. State fossils and state dinosaurs are separate designations. A state may have both, one, or neither. Arkansas, Texas, and the District of Columbia have state dinosaurs but no state fossils. Many states with state fossils do not have a separate state dinosaur designation.
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