Massachusetts is One of a Handful of States With Its Own State Dinosaur

There are plenty of things that Massachusetts can claim for its own as a state. We have our own state bird, the chickadee. The Bay State has its own state flower, which is the Mayflower (duh). Massachusetts even has its own state drink, which is cranberry juice. But did you know that the Bay State also has its own dinosaur? How many states can say that?

Not many states can say that actually. In fact, aside from Massachusetts announcing their own, there are just nine other states that have a state dinosaur. Those are New Jersey, Maryland, Texas, California, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Wyoming, and Arizona. Washington, D.C. also has their own dinosaur as well. So, what's the deal with Massachusetts having a state dinosaur?

Back on October 19, 2022, former Governor Charlie Baker, Lt. Governor Karyn Polito and others were at the Museum of Science in Boston for a ceremonial signing of legislation, which establishes a state dinosaur in Massachusetts.

The Massachusetts state dinosaur is the Podokesaurus Holyokenis. Gov. Baker spoke of why the state dinosaur is important to the Bay State:

The main reason they got me interested is because of their majesty and ferocity and their almost alien being status...And I do want to give the kids, who are fascinated with dinosaurs a lot of credit for making this day possible and working with Representative Lewis and other folks in the legislature to give a tough, spunky underdog from Holyoke the opportunity to be the dinosaur here in the Commonwealth.

This particular dinosaur, the Podokesaurus Holyokenis, lived approximately 180 to 195 million years ago. It was a carnivore that could travel somewhere between 9-12 miles per hour. Their typical size was anywhere from three to six feet and they would weigh roughly 90 pounds. You would think that they've probably shown up in the background in at least one of the Jurassic Park/Jurassic World movies, right?

Regardless, Massachusetts now has its very own state dinosaur!