North Carolina has 13 animal-related state-symbol designations when the categories in Chapter 145 of the North Carolina General Statutes are counted together. The list includes a bird, shell, mammal, saltwater fish, insect, reptile, dog, freshwater trout, horse, butterfly, frog, salamander and marsupial. The number 13 is an editorial count, not a total stated by the General Assembly. It includes the Scotch bonnet shell and the dog and horse designations, as well as the more familiar wildlife categories.
Why the list contains 13 “state animals”
Chapter 145 is titled “State Symbols and Other Official Adoptions.” It does not create one legal category called “the 13 state animals.” Instead, lawmakers adopted individual symbols over several decades, assigning each one a category such as state bird, state shell or state frog. Grouping every animal-related category produces the 13-entry list used here.
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That approach explains two features that can look unusual in shorter state-symbol lists. First, a shell is included because the Scotch bonnet is the official state shell and a shell is an animal structure. Second, domesticated or breed-specific designations appear beside wild species: the Plott Hound is the state dog, and the Colonial Spanish Mustang is the state horse.
The North Carolina General Assembly’s educational material presents state symbols as a broad collection of emblems and well-known representations of state history and culture. Its reader-facing summaries may simplify statutory wording. The statute remains the controlling source for the official category and name.
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The 13 official designations at a glance
| Official category | Adopted symbol | Adoption year | What the statute specifies |
|---|---|---|---|
| State bird | Cardinal | 1943 | The official state bird |
| State shell | Scotch bonnet | 1965 | The official state shell |
| State mammal | Gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) | 1969 | The official state mammal, with scientific name |
| State saltwater fish | Channel bass (red drum) | 1971 | Both common names appear in the law |
| State insect | Honeybee | 1973 | The statutory term is “honeybee” |
| State reptile | Turtle; eastern box turtle emblem | 1979 | The turtle is the state reptile; the eastern box turtle is the emblem representing North Carolina turtles |
| State dog | Plott Hound | 1989 | The official state dog |
| State freshwater trout | Southern Appalachian strain of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) | 2005 | The law identifies a particular strain, not an unspecified brook trout |
| State horse | Colonial Spanish Mustang | 2010 | The official state horse breed |
| State butterfly | Eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus) | 2012 | The official state butterfly, with scientific name |
| State frog | Pine barrens tree frog (Hyla andersonii) | 2013 | The official state frog, with scientific name |
| State salamander | Marbled salamander (Ambystoma opacum) | 2013 | The official state salamander, with scientific name |
| State marsupial | Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) | 2013 | The official state marsupial, with scientific name |
The years in the table are the adoption years shown by the act references in the current Chapter 145 text. They identify when each designation was enacted, not when the animal first became associated with North Carolina.
Bird, shell and mammal
Cardinal — state bird (1943)
North Carolina adopted the cardinal as its official state bird in 1943. Chapter 145 uses the straightforward designation “official state bird.” The law does not attach a species-level scientific name in the entry, so “cardinal” is the legally stated name. When a quiz asks for North Carolina’s state bird, this is the answer.
Scotch bonnet — state shell (1965)
The Scotch bonnet is the official state shell, adopted in 1965. Including it is essential to the 13-animal count: the statute treats it as a shell symbol rather than as a general “state mollusk” category. Because a shell is produced by an animal, the shell designation belongs in a broad animal-related inventory even though it is not a whole-animal category such as mammal or bird.
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The gray squirrel became the official state mammal in 1969. The statutory entry supplies the scientific name Sciurus carolinensis. That scientific name matters because it identifies the species intended by the law, rather than leaving “squirrel” as a broad label that could cover several species.
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Fish, insect and reptile
Channel bass (red drum) — state saltwater fish (1971)
North Carolina’s official saltwater fish is listed as “channel bass (red drum),” adopted in 1971. Both common names should be preserved when reproducing the designation. A list that gives only “red drum” is understandable in ordinary conversation, but it omits the paired wording used in the statute.
Honeybee — state insect (1973)
The honeybee was adopted as the official state insect in 1973. “Honeybee” is the statutory term. The law does not turn this entry into a broader category such as “bee,” so the official name should not be expanded or replaced when accuracy matters.
Turtle and eastern box turtle — state reptile and emblem (1979)
The reptile entry has a distinction that short summaries often flatten. Chapter 145 adopts the “turtle” as the official state reptile and separately names the eastern box turtle as the emblem representing North Carolina turtles. The broad legal category is therefore turtle, while the emblem is the eastern box turtle.
Those statements are compatible rather than competing choices. If a form asks for the state reptile, “turtle” follows the statutory category. If it asks which turtle serves as the emblem, “eastern box turtle” is the precise answer. Treating the emblem as though it replaced the category is a simplification, not the exact legislative wording.
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Dog, trout and horse
Plott Hound — state dog (1989)
The Plott Hound was adopted as the official state dog in 1989. The statute states: “The Plott Hound is adopted as the official dog of the State of North Carolina.” This is a breed-specific designation, so the answer is not merely “hound” or “dog.” The breed name should be capitalized as shown in the statutory entry.
Southern Appalachian strain of brook trout — state freshwater trout (2005)
In 2005, North Carolina designated the Southern Appalachian strain of brook trout as its official state freshwater trout. The full wording is important. The law does not simply designate any brook trout; it identifies a particular Southern Appalachian strain and gives the species name Salvelinus fontinalis. Educational lists that shorten the entry to “brook trout” lose that legal specificity.
Colonial Spanish Mustang — state horse (2010)
The Colonial Spanish Mustang became the official state horse in 2010. This is the breed named by the statute. It appears in the animal-symbol count alongside wild species because Chapter 145 assigns official status by category, not by whether the animal is domesticated, wild or represented as a breed.
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Butterfly, frog, salamander and marsupial
Eastern tiger swallowtail — state butterfly (2012)
North Carolina adopted the eastern tiger swallowtail as its official state butterfly in 2012. The statute identifies it scientifically as Papilio glaucus. The common name and scientific name refer to the same designated butterfly; including both avoids confusion with other swallowtail species.
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Pine barrens tree frog — state frog (2013)
The pine barrens tree frog was adopted as the official state frog in 2013. The statutory wording is: “The pine barrens tree frog (Hyla andersonii) is adopted as the official frog of the State of North Carolina.” The scientific name is part of the formal identification, not an optional embellishment.
Marbled salamander — state salamander (2013)
Also adopted in 2013, the marbled salamander is North Carolina’s official state salamander. Chapter 145 identifies it as Ambystoma opacum and states: “The marbled salamander (Ambystoma opacum) is adopted as the official salamander of the State of North Carolina.”
Virginia opossum — state marsupial (2013)
The Virginia opossum became the official state marsupial in 2013. The statute gives the scientific name Didelphis virginiana. This category is distinct from the state mammal category: the gray squirrel is the state mammal, while the Virginia opossum is the specifically designated state marsupial.
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How to answer common questions accurately
What is North Carolina’s state animal?
North Carolina does not have one all-purpose “state animal” designation in the way it has a state bird or state mammal. The phrase can refer informally to the collection of animal-related symbols. For a precise answer, name the category: gray squirrel for state mammal, cardinal for state bird, turtle for state reptile, or another entry from the table.
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Why do some lists show fewer than 13?
Shorter lists usually omit the shell, dog, horse, trout or marsupial categories, or they count only conventional wildlife classes. The 13 figure used here includes every animal-related statutory category in Chapter 145, including the Scotch bonnet shell and breed designations.
Is the eastern box turtle or “turtle” the state reptile?
Both terms appear, but they perform different roles. “Turtle” is the official reptile category; the eastern box turtle is the emblem representing North Carolina turtles. A complete answer keeps that distinction.
What the adoption years tell you
The symbols were adopted in stages rather than through one omnibus act. The cardinal dates to 1943, followed by the Scotch bonnet in 1965, gray squirrel in 1969, channel bass in 1971, honeybee in 1973, turtle in 1979 and Plott Hound in 1989. The later additions are the Southern Appalachian strain of brook trout in 2005, Colonial Spanish Mustang in 2010, eastern tiger swallowtail in 2012, and the pine barrens tree frog, marbled salamander and Virginia opossum in 2013.
This sequence also explains why categories and wording vary. Different acts addressed different public symbols, and later legislation supplied scientific names or narrower descriptions where appropriate. The result is a family of official designations, not a single standardized species list.
Using the list for schoolwork, quizzes and identification
- Use the category and the exact common name together: “state saltwater fish — channel bass (red drum).”
- Retain scientific names where the statute provides them, especially for the gray squirrel, brook trout, eastern tiger swallowtail, pine barrens tree frog, marbled salamander and Virginia opossum.
- For the reptile entry, write both parts when space allows: “turtle; eastern box turtle emblem.”
- Do not describe the list as a number expressly declared by the legislature. Say that 13 is a count of animal-related designations in Chapter 145.
- Do not infer a symbolic reason for an adoption unless an official source states one. The statute establishes the designation; it does not provide a reason for every selection.
Bottom line
North Carolina’s 13-entry animal-symbol count is a careful way to organize the state’s official designations, but it is not a phrase used as a single total in Chapter 145. The legally precise list includes the cardinal, Scotch bonnet, gray squirrel, channel bass (red drum), honeybee, turtle with its eastern box turtle emblem, Plott Hound, Southern Appalachian strain of brook trout, Colonial Spanish Mustang, eastern tiger swallowtail, pine barrens tree frog, marbled salamander and Virginia opossum.
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