Massachusetts has 12 official animal-related state symbols, not one catch-all “state animal.” The list combines 11 entries maintained by the Secretary of the Commonwealth under Flora and Fauna with the cod, which Massachusetts law separately names as the state’s fish emblem. It spans birds, mammals, a dog, cat, horse, insect, reptile, fish, shell and dinosaur.
The distinctions matter: the black-capped chickadee is the state bird, while the wild turkey is the separate state game bird. The New England Neptune is an official shell, and the dinosaur designation is separate from the state fossil designation for dinosaur tracks.
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Why Massachusetts has 12 “state animals”
“State animal” is a convenient phrase, but it is not a single legal category in Massachusetts. The Secretary of the Commonwealth’s official symbols reference lists 11 animal-related entries under Flora and Fauna. A separate section of the Massachusetts General Laws identifies the cod as the fish or fish emblem and a continuing symbol of the Commonwealth. Counting those sources together produces 12 official symbols.
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The 12 official Massachusetts animal symbols at a glance
| Official category | Symbol | Designation date | Official basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| State bird | Black-capped chickadee | March 21, 1941 | Secretary of the Commonwealth state-symbol reference |
| State horse | Morgan horse | May 14, 1970 | Secretary of the Commonwealth state-symbol reference |
| State insect | Ladybug (two-spotted lady beetle) | April 17, 1974 | Secretary of the Commonwealth state-symbol reference |
| State dog | Boston terrier | May 14, 1979 | Secretary of the Commonwealth state-symbol reference |
| State marine mammal | Right whale | 1980 | Secretary of the Commonwealth state-symbol reference; the reference gives a year, not a day |
| State shell | New England Neptune | June 26, 1987 | Secretary of the Commonwealth state-symbol reference |
| State cat | Tabby cat | July 11, 1988 | Secretary of the Commonwealth reference; General Laws, Chapter 2, §30 |
| State game bird | Wild turkey | December 23, 1991 | Secretary of the Commonwealth state-symbol reference |
| State reptile | Garter snake | January 3, 2007 | Secretary of the Commonwealth state-symbol reference |
| State groundhog | Ms. G | July 31, 2014 | Secretary of the Commonwealth state-symbol reference |
| State dinosaur | Podokesaurus holyokensis | April 29, 2022 | Secretary of the Commonwealth state-symbol reference |
| State fish or fish emblem | Cod | Not stated in General Laws, Chapter 2, §13 | Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 2, §13 |
What each symbol represents
Black-capped chickadee — state bird
The black-capped chickadee became Massachusetts’ state bird in 1941. The Secretary’s reference describes a small bird with a black crown and throat, white cheeks and the familiar “Chick-adee-dee-dee” call. The page prints the scientific name Penthestes atricapillus; when reproducing that name, treat it as the spelling used in the state reference rather than silently updating it to a different taxonomic treatment.
Do not merge this designation with the wild turkey’s. Massachusetts has one state bird and a separately designated state game bird.
Morgan horse — state horse
The Morgan horse’s Massachusetts connection is tied to a bay stallion called Figure. According to the state reference, Figure was born in West Springfield in 1789 and owned by Justin Morgan, whose name became associated with the breed. The Morgan’s designation recognizes a horse breed rooted in the Commonwealth’s early history, rather than a single modern animal.
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The state reference identifies the common Massachusetts example as the two-spotted lady beetle, Adalia bipunctata. The ladybug became the state insect after a recommendation from a second-grade class in Franklin. That origin is a useful reminder that state symbols can emerge from school civics as well as from legislative campaigns by organizations or professional groups.
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Boston terrier — state dog
Massachusetts recognizes the Boston terrier as its state dog. The Secretary’s description says the breed is a cross between an English bulldog and an English terrier. The designation gives the Commonwealth a domestic companion animal symbol associated with Boston and with the state’s urban history.
Right whale — state marine mammal
The General Court named the right whale the official state marine mammal in 1980. The Secretary’s reference prints the scientific name Eubalaena galcialis. Because that spelling is a transcription from the state page and scientific names can be revised, readers using the name in technical material should verify it with a specialist taxonomic authority rather than assuming the printed form is current taxonomy.
New England Neptune — state shell
The New England Neptune, printed in the state reference as Neptuna lyrata decemcostata, is Massachusetts’ official shell. This is a shell symbol representing a mollusk, not a generic “state animal” category. Including it in the 12-symbol count shows how Massachusetts’ official list embraces regional natural history beyond vertebrate wildlife.
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Tabby cat — state cat
The tabby cat is the Commonwealth’s official cat. Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 2, Section 30, states: “The Tabby cat shall be the official cat of the commonwealth.” The state reference also records the designation and connects the symbol to the tradition of student involvement in choosing Massachusetts emblems.
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Wild turkey — state game bird
The wild turkey is the official state game bird. “Game bird” is the precise category: it does not replace the black-capped chickadee as state bird. Using the full title avoids a common error in which the two designations are treated as competing answers to the same question.
Garter snake — state reptile
Massachusetts designated the garter snake as its official reptile. The cited state entry does not identify a particular garter-snake species, so the designation should be reported at the level of the common group rather than narrowed to a species without additional authority.
Ms. G — state groundhog
Ms. G, a groundhog associated with the Massachusetts Audubon Society, is the official state groundhog. The state reference describes her educational role in teaching elementary schoolchildren about meteorology. Unlike most entries, the symbol is a named individual animal whose public role is part of the designation’s story.
Podokesaurus holyokensis — state dinosaur
The General Court designated Podokesaurus holyokensis as the official state dinosaur in 2022, according to the Secretary’s reference. The page also uses capitalization in the form “Podokesaurus Holyokensis”; preserve the official spelling when quoting the source. This dinosaur should not be confused with Massachusetts’ separate state fossil designation for dinosaur tracks.
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Cod — state fish and continuing symbol
The cod completes the 12-symbol count because its status comes directly from statute rather than from the Secretary’s Flora and Fauna list. General Laws, Chapter 2, Section 13, states: “The cod shall be the fish or fish emblem and the historic and continuing symbol of the commonwealth.” The cited law establishes the category and wording but does not provide a designation date, so no date should be assigned.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How the categories differ
Bird versus game bird
Massachusetts deliberately maintains two bird categories. The black-capped chickadee holds the general state-bird title; the wild turkey holds the state-game-bird title. A correct answer to “What is Massachusetts’ state bird?” is therefore the chickadee, while a question about the state game bird calls for the turkey.
Living symbols, a shell and a dinosaur
Most entries refer to living animals or organisms, including the ladybug, right whale, garter snake and cod. The New England Neptune is identified as a shell, and Podokesaurus is a dinosaur symbol. Treating all 12 as equivalent biological categories obscures the way Massachusetts’ official-symbol program is organized.
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The Secretary of the Commonwealth supplies the identities, descriptions and most dates in its concise state-symbol reference. The cod’s wording and the tabby cat’s legal title are also set out in General Laws, Chapter 2. Where the sources differ in precision, follow the source: the right whale has a year but no day in the reference, and the cod statute supplies no designation date.
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A chronology from 1941 to 2022
Massachusetts’ animal-related designations developed over more than eight decades. The sequence begins with the black-capped chickadee in 1941, moves through domestic animals, birds and marine life in the twentieth century, adds the garter snake in 2007, recognizes Ms. G in 2014 and concludes with the dinosaur designation in 2022. The spread of dates reflects changing ideas about what belongs in a state-symbol program: local breeds, familiar wildlife, a school-supported insect choice, an educational groundhog and a prehistoric representative all appear alongside older civic emblems.
Student and classroom connections
Two designations illustrate school participation. A Franklin second-grade class recommended the ladybug that became the state insect, and the state’s account also associates students with the tabby-cat designation. These stories make the symbols useful for classroom lessons about how petitions, civic recommendations and laws can shape state identity.
The Secretary of the Commonwealth also provides a free, 17-page Color Massachusetts Book through its Kids’ Zone. It is an official coloring and activity resource that can help families or teachers introduce the state’s symbols without implying that a commercial edition or paid listing is part of the state program.
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Common mistakes to avoid
- Calling the wild turkey the state bird instead of the state game bird.
- Reducing the list to one “state animal” and omitting category-specific symbols.
- Leaving out the cod because it appears in a separate statute.
- Presenting the New England Neptune as a generic animal rather than the state shell.
- Confusing the state dinosaur with the separate state fossil, dinosaur tracks.
- Inventing a day for the right whale’s designation or a date for the cod when the cited sources do not provide one.
- Silently changing scientific spellings printed in the state reference, including the chickadee and right-whale entries, without noting that they are source transcriptions.
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