Here are some facts about Wyoming’s state symbols.

Wyoming’s state fish is a cutthroat trout. It’s the only trout that’s native to Wyoming. It gets its name from a crimson slash on either side of its throat. The cutthroat trout was adopted as the state fish in 1987.

The state’s fossil is also a fish… the fossil fish Knightia. These fossils are often found in the Green River Formation and in large groups because they were schooling fish. Knightia was adopted as the state fossil in 1987.

Wyoming also has a state dinosaur. In the spring of 1994, 650 schoolchildren voted for the Triceratops. Wyoming was the first state to designate an official state dinosaur.

Schoolchildren also voted in Wyoming’s state reptile. In 1993, a 3rd grade class at Gertrude Burns School in Newcastle campaigned to make the horned toad the state reptile. This animal is actually a lizard, not a toad, but the name has stuck. It’s also known as a horned lizard.

But Wyoming does have a state amphibian, again, thanks to students… the blotched tiger salamander, adopted in February of 2019. It’s Wyoming's only native salamander. Students at Pathfinder High School in Lander found a legislator to sponsor a Bill, lobbied for it, and were present at the vote.