What are the animal symbols for each U.S. state?
Each state in the United States individually chooses its own state symbols through its legislature. This post is for all the animal symbols they have chosen. I have even included dinosaurs and fossils! Not all states have chosen an animal for every category and some states have chosen multiple animals for a category.
Many states have chosen the same animal as their state symbol as that animal is important to so many. For example, 20 states have chosen the honey bee as their state insect!
The national bird for the United States is the Bald Eagle, and the national mammal is the American Bison.
I find it interesting what animals each state has chosen. I was not able to find all of them listed on one page, so I decided to make my own for easy reference.
Alabama
Mammal: American Black Bear
Marine mammal: West Indian Manatee
Bird: Yellowhammer, also known as Northern Flicker
Game bird: Eastern Wild Turkey
Amphibian: Red Hills Salamander
Crustacean: Brown Shrimp
Freshwater fish: Largemouth Bass
Saltwater fish: Fighting Tarpon
Insect: Monarch Butterfly
Butterfly: Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Agricultural insect: Queen Honey Bee
Horse: Racking Horse
Reptile: Alabama Red-Bellied Turtle
Shell: Johnstone’s Junonia
Fossil: Basilosaurus cetoides
Alaska
Marine mammal: Bowhead Whale
Land mammal: Moose
Bird: Willow Ptarmigan
Fish: King Salmon
Insect: Four-Spot Skimmer Dragonfly
Dog: Alaskan Malamute
Fossil: Woolly Mammoth
Arizona
Mammal: Ring-Tailed Cat
Bird: Cactus Wren
Amphibian: Arizona Tree Frog
Fish: Apache Trout
Butterfly: Two-Tailed Swallowtail
Reptile: Arizona Ridge-Nosed Rattlesnake
Dinosaur: Sonorasaurus
Fossil: Petrified Wood
Arkansas
Mammal: White-Tailed Deer
Bird: Northern Mockingbird
Insect: Honey Bee
Butterfly: Diana Fritillary Butterfly
Dinosaur: Arkansaurus fridayi
California
Animal: California Grizzly Bear (extinct)
Marine mammal: Gray Whale
Bird: California Quail
Amphibian: California Red-Legged Frog
Freshwater fish: California Golden Trout
Marine fish: Garibaldi
Insect: California Dogface Butterfly
Reptile: Desert Tortoise
Marine Reptile: Pacific Leatherback Sea Turtle
Pet: A shelter pet
Dinosaur: Augustynolophus morrisi
Fossil: Saber-Toothed Cat
Colorado
Animal: Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep
Bird: Lark Bunting
Amphibian: Western Tiger Salamander
Fish: Greenback Cutthroat Trout
Insect: Colorado Hairstreak Butterfly
Reptile: Western Painted Turtle
Pet: Colorado Shelter Pets
Dinosaur: Stegosaurus armatus
Connecticut
Animal: Sperm Whale
Bird: American Robin
Fish: American Shad
Insect: European Praying Mantis
Shellfish: Eastern Oyster
Dinosaur: Dilophosaurus
Fossil: Eubrontes Giganteus Dinosaur Track
Delaware
Marine animal: Horseshoe Crab
Wildlife animal: Grey Fox
Bird: Blue Hen Chicken, also known as Delaware Blue Hen
Fish: Weakfish
Bug: Ladybug
Butterfly: Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Macroinvertebrate: Stonefly
Dog: Golden Retriever
Shell: Channeled Whelk
Fossil: Belemnite
Florida
Animal: Florida Panther
Marine mammal: Manatee
Saltwater mammal: Dolphin
Bird: Northern Mockingbird
Freshwater fish: Florida Largemouth Bass
Saltwater fish: Atlantic Sailfish
Butterfly: Zebra Longwing
Horse: Florida Cracker Horse
Reptile: American Alligator
Saltwater reptile: Loggerhead Sea Turtle
Tortoise: Gopher Tortoise
Shell: Horse Conch
Georgia
Mammal: White-Tailed Deer
Marine mammal: Northern Right Whale
Bird: Brown Thrasher
Game bird: Bobwhite Quail
Amphibian: American Green Tree Frog
Fish: Largemouth Bass
Cold water game fish: Southern Appalachian Brook Trout
Saltwater fish: Red Drum
Insect: Honey Bee
Butterfly: Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Dog: “Adoptable dog”
Reptile: Gopher Tortoise
Seashell: Knobbed Whelk
Fossil: Shark Tooth
Hawaii
Mammal: Hawaiian Monk Seal
Marine mammal: Humpback Whale
Land mammal: Hawaiian Hoary Bat
Bird: Nene, also known as Hawaiian Goose
Fish: Humuhumunukunukuāpuaʻa or humuhumu for short
Insect: Pulelehua, also known as Kamehameha Butterfly
Idaho
Bird: Mountain Bluebird
Raptor: Peregrine Falcon
Amphibian: Idaho Giant Salamander
Fish: Cutthroat Trout
Insect: Monarch Butterfly
Horse: Appaloosa
Fossil: Hagerman Horse
Illinois
Animal: White-Tailed Deer
Bird: Northern Cardinal
Amphibian: Eastern Tiger Salamander
Fish: Bluegill
Insect: Monarch Butterfly
Pet: Shelter Dogs & Cats
Reptile: Painted Turtle
Fossil: Tully Monster
Indiana
Bird: Northern Cardinal
Insect: Say’s Firefly
Iowa
Bird: Eastern Goldfinch, also known as American Goldfinch
Fish: Channel Catfish
Kansas
Animal: American Buffalo
Bird: Western Meadowlark
Amphibian: Barred Tiger Salamander
Insect: Honey Bee
Reptile: Ornate Box Turtle
Flying fossil: Pteranodon
Marine fossil: Tylosaurus
Kentucky
Bird: Northern Cardinal
Fish: Kentucky Spotted Bass
Agricultural insect: Honey Bee
Butterfly: Viceroy Butterfly
Horse: Thoroughbred
Wild game animal: Gray Squirrel
Fossil: Brachiopod
Louisiana
Mammal: Louisiana Black Bear
Bird: Brown Pelican
Amphibian: American Green Tree Frog
Crustacean: Crawfish
Freshwater fish: White Perch, also known as White Crappie
Saltwater fish: Spotted Sea Trout
Insect: Honey Bee
Dog: Catahoula Leopard Dog
Reptile: American Alligator
Fossil: Petrified Palmwood
Maine
Animal: Moose
Bird: Black-Capped Chickadee
Crustacean: American Lobster
Fish: Landlocked Atlantic Salmon
Insect: Honey Bee
Cat: Maine Coon Cat
Fossil: Pertica quadrifaria
Maryland
Bird: Baltimore Oriole
Crustacean: Blue Crab
Fish: Rockfish, also known as Striped Bass
Insect: Baltimore Checkerspot Butterfly
Dog: Chesapeake Bay Retriever
Cat: Calico Cat
Horse: Thoroughbred
Reptile: Diamondback Terrapin
Dinosaur: Astrodon johnstoni
Fossil: Ecphora gardnerae
Massachusetts
Marine mammal: Right Whale
Bird: Black-Capped Chickadee
Game bird: Wild Turkey
Fish: Cod
Insect: Ladybug
Dog: Boston Terrier
Cat: Tabby Cat
Horse: Morgan
Reptile: Garter Snake
Shell: New England Neptune
Fossil: Dinosaur tracks
Michigan
Game mammal: White-Tailed Deer
Bird: Robin Redbreast, also known as American Robin
Fish: Brook Trout
Reptile: Painted Turtle
Fossil: Mastodon
Minnesota
Bird: Common Loon
Fish: Walleye
Insect: Monarch Butterfly
Mississippi
Land mammal: White-Tailed Deer and Red Fox
Water mammal: Bottlenose Dolphin
Bird: Northern Mockingbird
Waterfowl: Wood Duck
Fish: Largemouth Bass
Insect: Honey Bee
Butterfly: Spicebush Swallowtail
Reptile: American Alligator
Shell: Oyster Shell
Fossil: Prehistoric whales, Basilosaurus cetoides and Zygorhiza kochii
Missouri
Animal: Missouri Mule
Bird: Eastern Bluebird
Game bird: Bobwhite Quail
Amphibian: North American Bullfrog
Fish: Channel Catfish
Aquatic animal: Paddlefish
Invertebrate: Crayfish
Insect: Honey Bee
Horse: Missouri Fox Trotter
Reptile: Three-Toed Box Turtle
Dinosaur: Hypsibema missouriensis
Fossil: Delocrinus missouriensis
Montana
Animal: Grizzly Bear
Bird: Western Meadowlark
Fish: Blackspotted Cutthroat Trout
Butterfly: Mourning Cloak Butterfly
Fossil: Duck-Billed Dinosaur
Nebraska
Mammal: White-Tailed Deer
Bird: Western Meadowlark
Fish: Channel Catfish
Insect: Honey Bee
Fossil: Mammoth
Nevada
Animal: Desert Bighorn Sheep
Bird: Mountain Bluebird
Fish: Lahontan Cutthroat Trout
Insect: Vivid Dancer Damselfly
Reptile: Desert Tortoise
Fossil: Ichthyosaur
New Hampshire
Animal: White-Tailed Deer
Bird: Purple Finch
Amphibian: Red-Spotted Newt
Fish: Brook Trout
Saltwater fish: Striped Bass
Insect: Ladybug
Butterfly: Karner Blue Butterfly
Dog: Chinook
Wildcat: Bobcat
New Jersey
Animal: The Horse
Bird: Eastern Goldfinch, also known as American Goldfinch
Freshwater fish: Brook Trout
Saltwater fish: Striped Bass
Bug: Honey Bee
Butterfly: Black Swallowtail
Shell: Knobbed Whelk
Dinosaur: Hadrosaurus foulkii
New Mexico
Animal: Black Bear
Bird: Greater Roadrunner
Amphibian: New Mexico Spadefoot Toad
Fish: New Mexico Cutthroat Trout, also known as Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout
Insect: Tarantula Hawk Wasp
Butterfly: Sandia Hairstreak Butterfly
Reptile: New Mexico Whiptail Lizard
Fossil: Coelophysis
New York
Animal: Beaver
Bird: Eastern Bluebird
Freshwater fish: Brook Trout
Saltwater fish: Striped Bass
Insect: Nine-Spotted Ladybug
Dog: Working Canines
Reptile: Common Snapping Turtle
Shell: Bay Scallop
Fossil: Eurypterus remipes
North Carolina
Mammal: Gray Squirrel
Marsupial: Virginia Opossum
Bird: Northern Cardinal
Frog: Pine Barrens Tree Frog
Salamander: Marbled Salamander
Saltwater fish: Channel Bass
Freshwater fish: Southern Appalachian Brook Trout
Insect: Honey Bee
Butterfly: Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Dog: Plott Hound
Horse: Colonial Spanish Mustang
Reptile: Eastern Box Turtle
Shell: Scotch Bonnet
Fossil: Megalodon Shark Teeth
North Dakota
Bird: Western Meadowlark
Fish: Northern Pike
Insect: Convergent Lady Beetle
Honorary equine: Nokota Horse
Fossil: Teredo Petrified Wood
Ohio
Mammal: White-Tailed Deer
Bird: Northern Cardinal
Amphibian: Spotted Salamander
Frog: American Bullfrog
Insect: Ladybug
Reptile: Black Racer
Fossil: Isotelus trilobite
Oklahoma
Animal: Buffalo
Furbearer animal: Raccoon
Game animal: White-Tailed Deer
Flying mammal: Mexican Free-Tailed Bat
Bird: Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher
Game bird: Wild Turkey
Amphibian: American Bullfrog
Fish: White Bass
Insect: Honey Bee
Butterfly: Black Swallowtail
Reptile: Collared Lizard
Dinosaur: Acrocanthosaurus atokensis
Fossil: Saurophaganax maximus
Oregon
Animal: Beaver
Bird: Western Meadowlark
Crustacean: Dungeness Crab
Fish: Chinook Salmon
Insect: Oregon Swallowtail Butterfly
Shell: Oregon Triton
Fossil: Metasequoia
Pennsylvania
Animal: White-Tailed Deer
Bird: Ruffed Grouse
Fish: Brook Trout
Insect: Pennsylvania Firefly
Dog: Great Dane
Fossil: Trilobite
Rhode Island
Marine mammal: Harbor Seal
Bird: Rhode Island Red
Fish: Striped Bass
Insect: American Burying Beetle
Shell: Quahog
South Carolina
Animal: White-Tailed Deer
Marine mammal: Bottlenose Dolphin
Migratory marine mammal: Northern Right Whale
Bird: Carolina Wren
Game bird: Wild Turkey
Amphibian: Spotted Salamander
Fish: Striped Bass
Insect: Carolina Mantis
Butterfly: Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Spider: Carolina Wolf Spider
Dog: Boykin Spaniel
Heritage horse: Marsh Tacky
Heritage work animal: Mule
Reptile: Loggerhead Sea Turtle
Shell: Lettered Olive
Fossil: Columbian mammoth
South Dakota
Animal: Coyote
Bird: Ring-Necked Pheasant
Fish: Walleye
Insect: Honey Bee
Fossil: Triceratops
Tennessee
Animal: Raccoon
Bird: Northern Mockingbird
Game bird: Bobwhite Quail
Amphibian: Tennessee Cave Salamander
Game fish: Smallmouth bass
Commercial fish: Channel Catfish
Insect: Firefly and Ladybug
Agricultural insect: Honey Bee
Butterfly: Zebra Swallowtail
Horse: Tennessee Walking Horse
Pet: Rescued Dog or Cat
Reptile: Eastern Box Turtle
Fossil: Pterotrigonia
Texas
Small mammal: Nine-Banded Armadillo
Large mammal: Longhorn
Flying mammal: Mexican Free-Tailed Bat
Bird: Northern Mockingbird
Amphibian: Texas Toad
Crustacean: Texas Gulf Shrimp
Fish: Guadalupe Bass
Saltwater fish: Red Drum
Insect: Monarch Butterfly
Pollinator: Western Honey Bee
Dog breed: Blue Lacy
Horse: American Quarter Horse
Reptile: Texas Horned Lizard
Sea turtle: Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtle
Shell: Lightning Whelk
Dinosaur: Paluxysaurus jonesi
Utah
Animal: Rocky Mountain Elk
Bird: California Gull
Fish: Bonneville Cutthroat Trout
Insect: Honey Bee
Dinosaur: Utahraptor ostrommaysorum
Fossil: Allosaurus
Vermont
Animal: Morgan Horse
Bird: Hermit Thrush
Amphibian: Northern Leopard Frog
Cold water fish: Brook Trout
Warm water fish: Walleye
Heritage livestock: Randall Lineback Cattle
Insect: Honey Bee
Butterfly: Monarch Butterfly
Reptile: Painted Turtle
Marine fossil: Beluga Whale Skeleton
Terrestrial fossil: Mount Holly Mammoth Tooth & Tusk
Virginia
Bird: Northern Cardinal
Freshwater fish: Brook Trout
Saltwater fish: Striped Bass
Insect: Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly
Dog: American Foxhound
Bat: Virginia Big-Eared Bat
Snake: Eastern Garter Snake
Shell: Oyster
Fossil: Chesapecten jeffersonius
Washington
Endemic animal: Olympic Marmot
Marine mammal: Orca Whale
Bird: Willow Goldfinch, also known as American Goldfinch
Amphibian: Pacific Chorus Frog, also known as Pacific Tree frog
Fish: Steelhead Trout
Oyster: Ostrea lurida
Insect: Green Darner Dragonfly
Fossil: Columbian Mammoth
West Virginia
Animal: Black Bear
Bird: Northern Cardinal
Amphibian: Northern Red Salamander
Fish: Brook Trout
Insect: Honey Bee
Butterfly: Monarch Butterfly
Reptile: Timber Rattlesnake
Fossil: Megalonyx jeffersonii
Wisconsin
Animal: Badger
Wildlife animal: White-Tailed Deer
Bird: American Robin
Fish: Muskellunge
Insect: Honey Bee
Dog: American Water Spaniel
Domesticated animal: Dairy Cow
Fossil: Trilobite
Wyoming
Mammal: American Bison
Bird: Western Meadowlark
Amphibian: Blotched Tiger Salamander
Fish: Cutthroat Trout
Insect: Sheridan’s Green Hairstreak
Reptile: Horned Lizard
Dinosaur: Triceratops
Fossil: Knightia
District of Columbia
Bird: Wood Thrush
Dinosaur: Capitalsaurus
I have only included state animal symbols here. Each state has many more symbols. You can visit State Symbols USA to see many more state symbols and information about each symbol.
