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Yes, I said ten state animals, although one is a dinosaur and let’s hope it stays extinct. Most of us, like me, have heard of the state bird the goldfinch. Although I rarely see any and when I do they are in groups or flocks which are common for that type of bird. Curious about the rest , here are the other nine New Jersey state animals.

· The Horse – was made the official state animal in 1977. When you think of it, it kind of makes sense there are a lot of horse farms throughout the state. The United States Equestrian Team Foundation is located not far in Somerset County close to the Morris County border.

· The Honey Bee – one of our most important pollinators about 1/3 of all the food we eat in this country is thanks to the honey bee.

· The Black Swallowtail Butterfly – this insect can be found in all 21 counties.

· The Hadrosaurus Foulkii -roamed New Jersey about 70 – 100 million years ago. This dinosaur was about 25 feet long and likely weighed 7-8 tons. Pretty remarkable since it was a herbivore!

· The Seeing Eye Dog – having grown up in Morris County, I can attest to oftentimes catching a glimpse of a trainer with a seeing eye dog out in the field, walking in downtown Morristown.

· The Striped Bass – in 2017 it was made the official salt water fish in New Jersey.

· The Brook Trout – is the state’s fresh water fish. It is the only trout native to New Jersey.

· The Bog Turtle – last but not least, it is the smallest of all turtle species in North America and highly endangered.

· The Knobbed Whelk – also know as a conch shell…conch fritters anyone? Actually in NJ’s more cooler waters than its tropical cousin (the conch) this shell is home to a sea snail.

What do you think of this list? Can you think of an animal, insect, fish or reptile that is uniquely Jersey?