BOISE (Idaho Capital Sun) — Found in the Wayan Formation of Bonneville County’s Caribou Mountains, the oryctodromeus will soon become Idaho’s newest state emblem after Gov. Brad Little signed Senate Bill 1127 — a bill designating the prehistoric herbivore as Idaho’s first state dinosaur.
After passing both chambers nearly unanimously, Gov. Little signed the bill Thursday afternoon, adding the oryctodromeus as Idaho’s second prehistoric emblem along with the Hagerman horse fossil.
On March 24, Rep. Wendy Horman, R-Idaho Falls, introduced the legislation to the House. She said that before the end of the 2022 legislative session, she received a packet of letters from students at White Pine Charter School urging her to visit the school along with Idaho Falls Republican Sen. Kevin Cook for a legislative proposal.
During a visit to the school, Horman said fourth grade students had prepared a presentation explaining the traits of the dinosaur.
“I was blown away by the knowledge that came from their heart, their mind and things they had created with their hands to make this case for us,” she said on the House floor.
House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, spoke in support of the bill, recalling when she sponsored a bill to designate the Idaho giant salamander as the state amphibian.
“It has been a wonderful learning experience and brought great enthusiasm among kids everywhere across the state,” Rubel said. “I think the Idaho giant salamander would be very excited to get a new dinosaur friend.”
Blackfoot paleontologist explains oryctodromeus, fossil discovery
Only found in eastern Idaho and the southwest corner of Montana, the oryctodromeus is the dinosaur version of a prairie dog, educator and paleontologist L.J. Krumenacker told the Idaho Capital Sun.
Born in Blackfoot, Krumenacker helped discover oryctodromeus fossils in 2006 and worked with elementary school students to recommend the dinosaur become a state emblem. He now conducts research at Idaho State University and the Idaho Museum of Natural History.
Krumenacker said in a phone interview that he has gathered hundreds of oryctodromeus bones, including between 10 to 12 skeletons and dozens of isolated bone pieces from young to full-grown dinosaurs.
“One reason we chose it for the state dinosaur is because it’s easily the most common one we have,” he said.
Oryctodromeus, which means “digging runner,” was a small herbivore that lived during the Cretaceous Period. It is the first known burrowing dinosaur, Krumenacker said.
Smaller than a golden retriever, Krumenacker said the dinosaur was about 11 feet long, with two-thirds of its length consisting of its tail.
“In the boroughs, you’ll actually sometimes find kids buried with adults, presumably moms and dads,” he said. “These animals lived together as family groups and stuck together underground — probably hiding from predators or super hot weather. Sometimes you don’t get kids in the boroughs, but you get multiple grownups too. It was a family-oriented dinosaur.”
Krumenacker said when digging for fossils, he has the goal in mind for the kind of dinosaur he hopes to find. Using a geologic map — a map that shows rock types and ages — Krumenacker said he goes to places where other researchers have described rocks of the same age as the dinosaur he hopes to discover.
Krumenacker discovered the oryctodromeus fossils in the Caribou Mountains, a mountain range in Idaho’s Rocky Mountains with little rock exposure. To find fossils there, he has to walk along a well-vegetated area with many creeks and streams.
“It’s pretty as far as mountains, but if you’re a dinosaur nerd, it’s frustrating because it’s sagebrush and pine trees and so there’s not nearly as much rock to look at,” he said. “If we had good rock exposures out there, we’d probably have a lot more dinosaurs.”
The post ‘A family-oriented dinosaur’: Idaho governor signs new prehistoric emblem into law appeared first on East Idaho News.
Source: eastidahonews.com
‘A family-oriented dinosaur’: Idaho governor signs new prehistoric emblem into law
More from IdahoMore posts in Idaho »
- Deputy injured in Boise-area crash while responding to shooting released from hospital
- Senator Mike Crapo’s vehicle emissions bill did not pass the Senate
- Ada County sheriff’s deputy dies after being shot during Boise traffic stop
- Idaho group says it is exploring a ballot initiative for abortion rights and reproductive care
- Idaho suspends social worker scholarship program, cites budget concerns
More from MontanaMore posts in Montana »
- These Yellowstone National Park roads are opening soon
- Biden administration restores threatened species protections dropped by Trump
- What do you get when you cross rodeo with skiing? The wild and wacky skijoring
- Man admits to killing Spokane mother in Bozeman, not in Idaho Falls, says prosecutor
- What is ‘normal’ earthquake activity in Yellowstone National Park?
More from PoliticsMore posts in Politics »
- Supreme Court will decide whether Trump is immune from federal prosecution. Here’s what’s next
- Trump tried to ‘corrupt’ the 2016 election, prosecutor alleges as hush money trial gets underway
- Senator Mike Crapo’s vehicle emissions bill did not pass the Senate
- Idaho group says it is exploring a ballot initiative for abortion rights and reproductive care
- The man who set himself on fire outside the courthouse where Trump is on trial dies of his injuries
More from RegionalMore posts in Regional »
- Deputy injured in Boise-area crash while responding to shooting released from hospital
- Idaho group says it is exploring a ballot initiative for abortion rights and reproductive care
- Utah runner shares rare insight into mysterious ultra marathons
- Utah man sends $45K to get son out of jail only to find out he was never arrested
- Kevin Franke sues Jodi Hildebrandt for ‘intentional’ emotional harm, negligence
More from Science & TechnologyMore posts in Science & Technology »
- Instagram begins blurring nudity in messages to protect teens and fight sexual extortion
- Gallery: Your photos from Monday’s solar eclipse
- Will the total solar eclipse disrupt your cell service?
- Idaho National Laboratory prepares to operate its first new reactors in 50 years
- Invaders from underground are coming. It’s the biggest bug emergence in centuries
Be First to Comment