Missouri has one official state animal: the mule. It was designated on May 31, 1995. The state does not publish an official list called “15 state animals.” Instead, Missouri recognizes animals through separate legal or ceremonial categories, including an aquatic animal, fish, bird, insect, horse, dinosaur, amphibian, game bird, invertebrate, reptile and endangered species. This guide explains those 12 designated categories and two additional historical or emblematic animal references, making clear which items are official designations and which are not.
The Missouri Secretary of State lists 53 official state symbols and notes that the state’s symbols are intended to be educational, especially for schoolchildren. Its Missouri State Symbols overview and State Symbols reference are the controlling sources for names and dates.
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What Missouri officially recognizes
Missouri’s Revised Statutes contain a chapter titled “State Emblems,” but the Secretary of State explains that Missouri law does not define exactly what qualifies as a state emblem or state symbol. That framework helps explain why animal references appear under different labels instead of one master list. A mule can be the state animal, while a paddlefish is the aquatic animal and a channel catfish is the state fish.
The 12 designated animal categories are listed below. The final two entries—Old Drum and the grizzly bears on the state seal—are important Missouri animal references, but they are not equivalent to the statutory category designations. Counting all of these references as “15 official state animals” would require an additional counting choice, such as treating an alternate name or a separate image as another entry.
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Missouri’s 12 designated animal symbols
| Official category | Animal | Scientific name | Designation |
|---|---|---|---|
| State animal | Missouri mule | — | May 31, 1995 |
| Aquatic animal | Paddlefish | Polyodon spathula | May 23, 1997 |
| State fish | Channel catfish | Ictalurus punctatus | May 23, 1997 |
| State bird | Eastern bluebird | Sialia sialis | Since 1927 |
| State insect | Honeybee | Apis mellifera | July 3, 1985 |
| State horse | Missouri Fox Trotter | — | June 4, 2002 |
| State dinosaur | Parrosaurus missouriense | — | July 9, 2004 |
| State amphibian | American bullfrog | — | June 5, 2005 |
| State game bird | Bobwhite quail (northern bobwhite) | Colinus virginianus | July 13, 2007 |
| State invertebrate | Crayfish (crawfish or crawdad) | — | June 21, 2007 |
| State reptile | Three-toed box turtle | Terrapene carolina triunguis | Date not stated on reference page |
| Official endangered species | Hellbender salamander | Cryptobranchus alleganiensis | August 28, 2019 |
1. Missouri mule — the official state animal
Missouri designated the mule as its state animal on May 31, 1995. The Secretary of State describes a mule as the offspring of a mare, a female horse, and a jack, a male donkey. Mules have a long Missouri association with agriculture, westward wagon travel and military transport. Those working roles, rather than a claim that every mule is born in Missouri, explain the animal’s symbolic importance.
This is the answer to the singular question “What is Missouri’s official state animal?” The precise answer is not “the horse,” “the Fox Trotter” or every animal appearing on a state list: it is the mule. The Fox Trotter has its own state-horse category, described below.
2. Paddlefish — the official aquatic animal
The paddlefish (Polyodon spathula) became Missouri’s official aquatic animal on May 23, 1997. The state reference identifies substantial populations in the Mississippi, Missouri and Osage rivers, as well as in some larger lakes. Its separate aquatic-animal label distinguishes it from the channel catfish, which holds the state-fish designation.
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3. Channel catfish — the state fish
Also designated on May 23, 1997, the channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) is recognized for its deeply forked tail and whisker-like barbels. The Secretary of State’s reference gives a usual adult size of 12 to 32 inches and a weight of one-half to 15 pounds. Those figures are descriptive ranges from the state reference, not a guarantee for every fish or a record-size claim.
The channel catfish and paddlefish are therefore a useful comparison: one is Missouri’s state fish and the other is its aquatic animal. Neither designation cancels the other, and neither changes the mule’s status as the official state animal.
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4. Eastern bluebird — the state bird
Missouri’s state bird is the eastern bluebird (Sialia sialis). The Secretary of State’s bird page says the bluebird has held that status since 1927. Because the designation predates many of the later category laws, it is a useful reminder that Missouri’s animal symbols were adopted at different times and through different forms of state recognition.
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The honeybee (Apis mellifera) became Missouri’s state insect on July 3, 1985. In the state-symbol system, “insect” is its own category rather than a subdivision of the state animal designation. Calling the honeybee a Missouri state animal in casual conversation is understandable, but “state insect” is the precise official label.
6. Missouri Fox Trotter — the state horse
Missouri designated the Missouri Fox Trotter as its state horse on June 4, 2002. The official description highlights its distinctive gait: the horse walks with its front feet while trotting with its hind feet. “State horse” is a separate category from “state animal,” so the Fox Trotter does not replace the mule as Missouri’s official state animal.
7. Parrosaurus missouriense — the state dinosaur
Missouri’s state dinosaur is Parrosaurus missouriense, designated July 9, 2004. The name changed from Hypsibema missouriense in 2022. Older classroom materials may therefore use the former name, while current references use Parrosaurus missouriense. It remains the state dinosaur category, not a second state animal.
When updating a worksheet or museum caption, retain the older name only as the former designation and place the current name first. The change is a naming update, not a new dinosaur symbol or a second designation date.
8. American bullfrog — the state amphibian
The American bullfrog was designated Missouri’s state amphibian on June 5, 2005. Amphibian is a biological category that stands alongside the state reptile, state fish and state bird designations. The designation identifies the bullfrog as Missouri’s representative amphibian; it does not mean that amphibians generally are the state’s primary animal symbol.
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9. Bobwhite quail — the state game bird
Missouri’s state game bird is the bobwhite quail, also called the northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus). It was designated July 13, 2007. “Bobwhite quail” and “northern bobwhite” refer to the same listed bird, so they should not be counted as two separate state symbols.
10. Crayfish — the state invertebrate
The crayfish became Missouri’s state invertebrate on June 21, 2007. The reference also gives the familiar names crawfish and crawdad. Those are alternate common names for the same symbol, not additional designations. Its invertebrate category broadens Missouri’s official animal representation beyond vertebrates.
11. Three-toed box turtle — the state reptile
The state reference identifies Missouri’s state reptile as the three-toed box turtle, Terrapene carolina triunguis. The page supplies the scientific identification but does not state a designation date in the material cited here. It is therefore best reported with the official category and name, without inventing a year.
12. Hellbender salamander — the official endangered species
Missouri designated the hellbender salamander (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) as its official endangered species on August 28, 2019. This category is conservation-focused: it differs from the state amphibian designation, which belongs to the American bullfrog. The two symbols should not be merged simply because both are amphibians.
Among the dated entries in this guide, the hellbender is the most recent designation. Its date also shows that Missouri continues to add animal-related symbols even after the older bird, insect and fish designations.
Two additional Missouri animal references
13. Old Drum — a historical dog symbol
The Secretary of State’s overview mentions Old Drum as a historical dog symbol. Old Drum is an animal-related Missouri reference, but the overview does not present him as the current state animal or as one of the category designations in the table. Including Old Drum in a broader educational list is appropriate only when that distinction is stated.
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14. Grizzly bears on the Missouri state seal
The Missouri state seal depicts grizzly bears. This is emblematic imagery rather than a separate “state bear” designation. The bears can be discussed when explaining Missouri’s animal imagery, but they should not be added to the official category count as though the state had designated grizzly bears as an independent animal symbol.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsWhy “15 official state animals” is misleading
There are several ways an informal list can reach 15: it may combine the 12 designated categories with Old Drum and the seal’s grizzly bears, then count an alias or another piece of imagery separately. That arithmetic is an editorial choice, not a number Missouri’s official overview announces. The Secretary of State instead reports 53 official state symbols overall; it notes that the total could be 54 if the state motto is counted separately.
The safest counting rule is to count each official category once, keep alternate common names together, and label historical or emblematic references separately. Under that rule, this guide has 12 designated categories plus two additional references. It does not turn crawfish and crawdad, bobwhite and northern bobwhite, or the old and current dinosaur names into extra symbols.
For accurate schoolwork, museum labels or pet-and-wildlife education, use the official category beside each animal. Say “Missouri’s state animal is the mule,” then identify the paddlefish as the aquatic animal, the channel catfish as the fish and so on. This avoids implying that all 14 or 15 references have the same legal status.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to compare the symbols
Four comparison points keep the list clear. First is the legal or ceremonial category: state animal, aquatic animal, fish, bird, insect, horse, dinosaur, amphibian, game bird, invertebrate, reptile or endangered species. Second is the designation date, which ranges from the bluebird’s status since 1927 to the hellbender designation in 2019. Third is biological group: a bird, insect, amphibian and reptile are not interchangeable labels. Fourth is the stated Missouri connection, such as the mule’s agricultural and transportation history or the paddlefish’s presence in major Missouri rivers and lakes.
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How to use Missouri’s official resources
- Start with the Missouri State Symbols overview for the state’s category structure and educational explanation.
- Check the Secretary of State’s State Symbols PDF for scientific names, designation dates and descriptions.
- For a bound government reference, consult the Secretary of State’s 2025–2026 Official Manual of the State of Missouri, which includes a state-symbols section. Ordering information is provided by the Secretary of State; availability, price and any retailer relationship should be confirmed directly.
- Use the Secretary of State’s free animal-symbol coloring pages when teaching younger students; the symbols page provides them as an educational resource.
The Secretary of State describes state symbols as educational, especially for schoolchildren. That makes the overview and coloring pages useful starting points, while the PDF and Official Manual supply the more formal names and category distinctions needed for a report or display.
Quick answer for students
- Official state animal: Missouri mule, designated May 31, 1995.
- Why not 15? Missouri recognizes multiple animal-related categories, but its official overview does not publish a single list of 15 state animals.
- Most recently designated item in this list: Hellbender salamander, the official endangered species, designated August 28, 2019.
- Important naming update: The state dinosaur’s name changed from Hypsibema missouriense to Parrosaurus missouriense in 2022.
- Two names that are not two symbols: Crawfish and crawdad are names for crayfish, and northern bobwhite is another name for bobwhite quail.
- Historical or emblematic references: Old Drum and the grizzly bears on the seal are animal references, not additional state-category designations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Missouri’s official state animal?
The mule, designated on May 31, 1995. The Missouri Fox Trotter is the state horse, but it does not replace the mule as the state animal.
Does Missouri really have 15 official state animals?
No single official list uses that number. Missouri’s Secretary of State identifies separate animal-related categories. This guide lists 12 designated categories and two additional historical or emblematic references; reaching 15 requires an extra counting choice or double-counting an alias.
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What is the difference between Missouri’s aquatic animal and state fish?
The paddlefish is the official aquatic animal, while the channel catfish is the official state fish. Both were designated May 23, 1997, but they retain different category labels.
Which Missouri animal symbol was designated most recently?
The hellbender salamander became the official endangered species on August 28, 2019, the latest dated designation among the entries here.
Why might an older source call Missouri’s dinosaur Hypsibema missouriense?
The name changed to Parrosaurus missouriense in 2022. Older materials may retain the former name, while current references use Parrosaurus missouriense.
Are Old Drum and the grizzly bears official state animals?
They are recognized Missouri animal references, but not equivalent to the designated state-animal categories. Old Drum is a historical dog symbol, and grizzly bears appear on the state seal.
Where can students verify the names and dates?
Use the Missouri Secretary of State’s State Symbols overview and State Symbols PDF. The Secretary of State also lists the 2025–2026 Official Manual of the State of Missouri and provides free symbol coloring pages.
The Bottom Line
Missouri’s official state animal is the mule. The state also designates an aquatic animal, fish, bird, insect, horse, dinosaur, amphibian, game bird, invertebrate, reptile and endangered species. Old Drum and the seal’s grizzly bears are additional references, not separate state-animal categories, so “15 official state animals” is a headline convention rather than Missouri’s published legal count.
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