The Giant Salamander may soon have to compete against a dinosaur for the title of the coolest Idaho state emblem. A new measure working its way through the legislature would make the Oryctodromeus the state’s newest extinct representative.
A small, fast-running bipedal dinosaur with short front limbs, strong legs and a broad snout that could be used as a shovel, the Oryctodromeus lived in dens not unlike the ones hyenas dig for themselves today. A new bill seeks to make it Idaho’s official state dinosaur.
Sen. Kevin Cook introduced the text on behalf of Idaho State University Paleontologist L.J. Krumenacker and elementary school students who came well prepared to testify. Levi Herway, a fourth grader attending Edgemont Gardens Elementary School in Idaho Falls, laid out five reasons for his support.
“One, Idaho is the only state where a complete skeleton of the Oryctodromeus has been found. That is cool,” he started off. “Two. Oryctodromeus raise their young. This is unique among dinosaurs. In our community, strong families are very important.”
Reason three, four and five? The Oryctodromeus could curl into a ball, it’s the only known dinosaur in the world to burrow in the ground and 17 other states in the country already have their own Jurassic mascot.
Finding out it was also a herbivore, Sen. Ben Toews had follow-up questions for Levi.
“I was wondering, and maybe someone else can help with this as well, if it's possible that this dinosaur may have actually eaten potatoes as part of its diet?”
“Maybe something similar,” Levi said.
“I think there's a potential marketing connection between the Idaho Potato Commission and the state dinosaur if this passes,” Sen. Toews added.
The Oryctodromeus was about the size of a golden retriever with a long tail and roamed parts of eastern Idaho and the southwesternmost corner of Montana during the Cretaceous Period some 95 million years ago. First discovered in 2006, fossils of both adults and their young were found in the Wayan Formation in the Caribou Mountains.
The Giant Salamander is Idaho’s official state amphibian and is found in forested watersheds near Coeur d'Alene all the way to the Salmon River and can grow up to a foot long. Other state symbols include the mountain bluebird, the cutthroat trout, the western white pine, and yes, the potato. The Oryctodromeus would be the state’s first reptile.
The bill received absolute bipartisan support and is headed to the Senate floor next.
