SafekipediaList of U.S. state fossils
Adapted from Wikipedia · Discoverer experience
Most states in the United States have chosen a special state fossil. Many states picked their fossils during the 1980s. Usually, the state fossil is a type of fossilized plant or animal, not just one single fossil. These fossils are different from other state symbols like state dinosaurs, state stones, state minerals, state gemstones, or state rocks. A state can choose one, a few, or all of these symbols. For example, in Arizona, the state stone is turquoise and the state dinosaur is Sonorasaurus thompsoni, but the state fossil is petrified wood.
The first two states to pick a state fossil were Nebraska and North Dakota in 1967.
As of March 10th, 2026, six states and the District of Columbia still do not have an official state fossil. Arkansas has no state fossil, though it did choose Arkansaurus as its state dinosaur. The District of Columbia has Capitalsaurus as its state dinosaur but no state fossil. Florida also has no state fossil, even though agatised coral, which is a fossil, is the state stone. Hawaii is too young geologically to have many fossils, and its rocky makeup makes finding fossils difficult, so it has not chosen one. Iowa suggested the crinoid in 2018, but it was not made official. New Hampshire thought about the American mastodon in 2015, but did not choose it. Texas has no state fossil, even though Sauroposeidon proteles is its state dinosaur.
Table of state fossils
Many states in the United States have chosen a special fossil to represent their state. These fossils are usually from a certain kind of ancient plant or animal, not just one single piece. Choosing a state fossil is different from picking other symbols like a state dinosaur, stone, mineral, gemstone, or rock. Some states have chosen one of these symbols, while others have picked several.
Related articles
This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on List of U.S. state fossils, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
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