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National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior

Fossil Parks

Official State Fossils

A great place to start learning about fossils is right in your "backyard", with your official state fossil. This page lists all of the designated state fossils (and some official state dinosaurs and fossiliferous gem stones) as a launching point for learning about fossils in your state and neighboring states.

Do you know your official state fossil? Click on the map below to find the answer.

National Map Hawaii Virgin Islands Northern Mariana Islands Puerto Rico Guam American Samoa Alaska California Nevada Arizona New Mexico Washington Oregon Idaho Utah Colorado Arkansas Montana Wyoming Texas North Dakota South Dakota Nebraska Kansas Oklahoma Minnesota Iowa Missouri Arkansas Louisiana Wisconsin Illinois Mississippi Alabama Florida Georgia South Carolina Tennessee North Carolina Michigan Indiana Ohio Kentucky West Virginia Virginia Maine New York Pennsylvania Washington, DC Delaware Maryland New Jersey Connecticut Rhode Island Massachusetts New Hampshire Vermont

Alabama

Basilosaurus cetoides (Eocene age, whale)

Alaska

Mammuthus primigenius (Pleistocene age, woolly mammoth)

Arizona

Araucarioxylon arizonicum (Triassic age, wood)

California

Smilodon californicus (Pleistocene age, sabertooth cat)

Colorado

Stegosaurus stenops (Jurassic age, plated dinosaur)

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Connecticut

Eubrontes giganteus (Jurassic age, dinosaur track)

Delaware

Belemnitella americana (Cretaceous age, belemnite)

Florida

Official state stone:

"agatized coral" (Oligocene-Miocene age, coral)

Proposed state fossil (unofficial)

"Sea Biscuit", Eupatagus antillarum (Eocene age)

Georgia

shark tooth (Cretaceous - Miocene age, shark tooth)

Idaho

Equus simplicidens (Pliocene age, horse)

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Illinois

Tullimonstrum gregarium (Pennsylvanian age, soft-bodied animal — "Tully Monster")

Kentucky

brachiopod (Ordovician - Mississippian age, shellfish)

Louisiana

petrified palm wood (Oligocene age, palm)

Maine

Pertica quadrifaria (Devonian age, plant)

Maryland

1) Ecphora gardnerae gardnerae (Miocene age, snail)
2) Astrodon johnstoni (Cretaceous age, sauropod dinosaur)

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Massachusetts

dinosaur tracks (Jurassic age, trace fossil — tracks)

Michigan

1) Mamut americanum (Pliocene - Pleistocene age, mastodon)
2) Petoskey Stone (Devonian age, coral)

Mississippi

1) Basilosaurus (Eocene age, whale)
2) Zygorhiza (Eocene age, whale)
3) petrified wood (Oligocene age, wood)

Missouri

1) Delocrinus missouriensis (Pennsylvanian age, crinoid)
2) Hypsibema missouriense (Cretaceous age, dinosaur)

Montana

Maiasaura peeblesorum (Cretaceous age, duckbilled dinosaur)

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Nebraska

1) Archidiskodon imperator (Pleistocene age, mammoth)
2) mammoth (Pleistocene age, mammoth)

Nevada

Shonisaurus popularis (Triassic age, ichthyosaur)

New Jersey

Hadrosaurus foulkii (Cretaceous age, duckbilled dinosaur)

New Mexico

Coelophysis bauri (Triassic age, theropod dinosaur)

New York

Eurypterus remipes (Silurian age, sea scorpion)

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North Dakota

Teredo petrified wood (Paleocene age, shipworm-bored wood)

Ohio

Isotelus (Ordovician age, trilobite)

Oklahoma

Saurophaganax maximus (Jurassic age, theropod dinosaur)

Oregon

Metasequoia (Miocene age, conifer leaf)

Pennsylvania

Phacops rana (Devonian age, trilobite)

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South Dakota

Triceratops (Cretaceous age, horned dinosaur)

Tennessee

Pterotrigonia thoracica (Cretaceous age, bivalve)

Texas

1) Pleurocoelus (Cretaceous age, sauropod dinosaur)
2) petrified palm wood (Oligocene age, palm wood)

Utah

Allosaurus (Jurassic age, theropod dinosaur)

Vermont

Delphinapterus leucas (Pleistocene age, white beluga whale)

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Virginia

Chesapecten jeffersonius (Miocene - Pliocene age, bivalve)

Washington

1) Mammuthus columbi (Pleistocene age, mammoth)
2) petrified wood (Miocene age, wood)

Washington, D.C.

"Capitalsaurus" (Cretaceous age, undetermined theropod dinosaur)

West Virginia

1) Megalonyx jeffersoni (Pleistocene age, ground sloth)
2) fossil coral (Mississippian age, coral)

Wisconsin

Calymene celebra (Ordovician - Silurian age, trilobite)

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Wyoming

Knightia (Eocene age, fish)
Triceratops (Cretaceous age, horned dinosaur)

D'oh! No State Fossil

Ten states (and five territories) have not yet named an Official State Fossil:

  • American Samoa
  • Arkansas
  • Guam
  • Hawaii
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Minnesota
  • New Hampshire
  • North Carolina
  • Northern Mariana Islands
  • Puerto Rico
  • Rhode Island
  • South Carolina
  • Virgin Islands

In most states, any resident can get involved in nominating iconic things for official state recognition. If your state does not have an official state fossil, consider nominating one. Your state officials may want to issue a proclamation as part of your organization's next National Fossil Day celebration.

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Geologic Time Scale

Geologic Time Scale

Don't see your favorite state fossil listed here? To update this National Fossil Day webpage, please contact us with information about your state.

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Last updated: September 19, 2010