Montana has five official state symbols that feature animals: the grizzly bear, western meadowlark, blackspotted cutthroat trout, duck-billed dinosaur Maiasaura peeblesorum, and mourning cloak. They are not all legally called “state animals.” Montana law assigns each a different category: the grizzly bear is the state animal, the meadowlark the state bird, the trout the state fish, Maiasaura peeblesorum the state fossil, and the mourning cloak the state butterfly.
That distinction matters when a quiz, classroom assignment, or official document asks for Montana’s state animal. The legally precise one-word answer is grizzly bear. The longer list contains five animal-related symbols recognized in Title 1, chapter 1, part 5 of the Montana Code Annotated.
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Why “five state animals” is a convenient phrase, not the legal title
Montana’s official-symbol statutes separate animals by type rather than placing all five under one heading. Section 1-1-508 names the grizzly bear as the official state animal. Separate sections identify the official state bird, fish, fossil, and butterfly. Counting those five designations together is useful for readers who want Montana’s animal-related emblems, but it should not obscure the legal categories.
The distinction also prevents two common errors. First, saying that Montana has five official state animals implies that the legislature gives all five the same status. It does not. Second, reducing the list to the grizzly bear misses four other official symbols that happen to be animals or represent an animal species. The most accurate explanation gives both the complete list and each symbol’s statutory category.
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The Montana Legislature’s Office of Research & Policy Analysis lists these designations in its September 2023 summary of official state symbols. The Montana Code Annotated 2025 provides the controlling statutory names and classifications.
Montana’s five animal-related state symbols at a glance
| Symbol | Legal category | Common or statutory name | Scientific name stated in the statute | Selection or designation date reported by official sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grizzly bear | State animal | Grizzly bear | Ursus arctos horribilis | April 7, 1983 |
| Western meadowlark | State bird | Western meadowlark | Sturnella neglecta | Schoolchildren chose it in 1930; legislature agreed in 1931 |
| Blackspotted cutthroat trout | State fish | Blackspotted cutthroat trout | Salmo clarki | Not stated in the cited sources |
| Duck-billed dinosaur | State fossil | Maiasaura peeblesorum | Maiasaura peeblesorum | Not stated in the cited sources |
| Mourning cloak | State butterfly | Mourning cloak | Nymphalis antiopa | 2001 |
The table uses the statutory wording for the fish and the scientific names supplied by the code. Where the cited official material does not provide a date, the entry is identified as “not stated” rather than filled with an estimate.
Grizzly bear: Montana’s official state animal
Only one of the five symbols carries the legal title “state animal”: the grizzly bear, Ursus arctos horribilis. Section 1-1-508 of the Montana Code Annotated states: “The grizzly bear, Ursus arctos horribilis, as preferred by a vote of Montana schoolchildren, is the official Montana state animal.” That sentence supplies the animal’s common name, scientific name, and the role of a schoolchildren’s vote in its selection.
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallThe Montana Historical Society dates the designation to April 7, 1983. Its account describes a broad student-driven process: Montana schoolchildren nominated more than 74 animals, followed by primary and general elections. The historical detail is about that 1983 selection process, not a current wildlife count or a present-day opinion poll.
For a direct question such as “What is Montana’s state animal?” answer “the grizzly bear.” If the question asks for the scientific name, use Ursus arctos horribilis. If it asks for all five animal-related symbols, place the grizzly first under the state-animal category and then identify the other four by their separate legal categories.
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Western meadowlark: the official state bird
Montana’s state bird is the western meadowlark, Sturnella neglecta. Section 1-1-504 records the bird’s scientific name and says it was preferred through a referendum of Montana schoolchildren. The law therefore gives the meadowlark a different status from the grizzly bear: it is the official state bird, not a second state animal under the statutory heading.
The Montana Historical Society places the student choice earlier than the grizzly selection. Schoolchildren chose the western meadowlark in 1930, and the legislature agreed with that choice in 1931. Those two dates describe separate steps in the designation history: the children’s selection came first, followed by legislative agreement.
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Blackspotted cutthroat trout: the official state fish
Montana law names the blackspotted cutthroat trout as the official state fish. Section 1-1-507 uses that exact common name and supplies the scientific name Salmo clarki. The statutory wording is important: when a reference asks for Montana’s state fish, “blackspotted cutthroat trout” is the complete name to provide.
This designation illustrates why the five-symbol grouping needs category labels. The trout is an animal, but its official role is “state fish.” It should not be listed as a second state animal, and it should not be silently shortened to a generic “cutthroat trout” when the question concerns the legal designation.
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The cited statutory and historical summaries do not provide a selection year for the state-fish designation. That absence does not change the fish’s official status; it simply means a date should not be supplied as though it were established by these sources. For a concise identification, give the common name, the category, and, when scientific names are requested, Salmo clarki.
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Maiasaura peeblesorum: Montana’s official state fossil
The official state fossil is the duck-billed dinosaur Maiasaura peeblesorum. Section 1-1-509 names the species directly as Montana’s state fossil. In ordinary language, it is the dinosaur entry in the five-symbol list; legally, however, its category is “state fossil,” not “state animal.”
The code’s use of the full species name matters for accuracy. “Duck-billed dinosaur” describes the familiar type, while Maiasaura peeblesorum identifies the designated fossil taxon. A classroom answer can include both forms: “Montana’s state fossil is the duck-billed dinosaur Maiasaura peeblesorum.” That wording makes the symbol understandable without dropping the official name.
The cited official material does not state when the fossil designation was adopted. Avoid attaching an unverified year to it or presenting a discovery date as a designation date. The relevant fact for this list is the legal category and the exact species named in section 1-1-509.
Mourning cloak: the official state butterfly
Montana’s official state butterfly is the mourning cloak, Nymphalis antiopa. Section 1-1-514 gives the butterfly’s common name and scientific name. As with the trout and fossil, the butterfly is included among Montana’s animal-related symbols because it represents an animal group, while its legal designation remains specifically “state butterfly.”
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The Montana Historical Society dates the addition of the mourning cloak to 2001. That makes it the most recently dated designation among the five in the cited historical account. The date refers to the butterfly’s addition as a state symbol, not to a change in the wording of the grizzly, bird, fish, or fossil statutes.
Use the full common name “mourning cloak” rather than replacing it with a broad label such as “state insect.” The law identifies a butterfly, and the scientific name Nymphalis antiopa provides the precise counterpart for lists that require scientific nomenclature.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How the designations developed over time
The dates supplied by the Montana Historical Society show that the symbols were adopted across several decades rather than in one single package. The western meadowlark was selected by schoolchildren in 1930, with legislative agreement in 1931. The grizzly bear followed on April 7, 1983, after a student nomination and election process. The mourning cloak was added in 2001. The cited sources do not assign dates to the trout or Maiasaura peeblesorum, so a complete timeline must leave those two entries undated.
- 1930: Montana schoolchildren chose the western meadowlark.
- 1931: The legislature agreed with that bird selection.
- April 7, 1983: The grizzly bear was designated the state animal after the schoolchildren’s election process.
- 2001: The mourning cloak was added as the state butterfly.
- Date not stated in the cited sources: The blackspotted cutthroat trout and Maiasaura peeblesorum hold the state-fish and state-fossil designations.
The history also reveals a recurring civic theme: schoolchildren’s preferences are explicitly recorded for both the meadowlark and grizzly bear. That does not mean every symbol was selected through the same process. The statutes identify the symbols; the historical account supplies the student-vote details where they are documented.
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How to answer common questions accurately
If someone asks for Montana’s state animal
Answer: “The grizzly bear, Ursus arctos horribilis.” Add that it was preferred by a vote of Montana schoolchildren if the question calls for background.
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If someone asks for all five official animal symbols
List all five with categories: grizzly bear (state animal), western meadowlark (state bird), blackspotted cutthroat trout (state fish), Maiasaura peeblesorum (state fossil), and mourning cloak (state butterfly).
If a worksheet asks for scientific names
Use Ursus arctos horribilis, Sturnella neglecta, Salmo clarki, Maiasaura peeblesorum, and Nymphalis antiopa, matching each name to its statutory category.
If a source calls all five “state animals”
Treat that as a convenient umbrella phrase and clarify the legal categories. The phrase is understandable for a general audience, but Montana law reserves “official state animal” for the grizzly bear.
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The designations appear in Title 1, chapter 1, part 5 of the Montana Code Annotated. The relevant 2025 sections are § 1-1-504 for the state bird, § 1-1-507 for the state fish, § 1-1-508 for the state animal, § 1-1-509 for the state fossil, and § 1-1-514 for the state butterfly. The Montana Historical Society’s “Facts, Symbols” account supplies the reported schoolchildren’s selections and the dates for the meadowlark, grizzly bear, and mourning cloak. Together, those sources support both parts of the answer: the complete five-symbol list and the legal distinction among categories.
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