Meet Podokesaurus holyokensis, one of the two candidates in the 'running' for state dino! (Courtesy of Rep. Jack Lewis)
With the recent presidential election last November and a pair of crucial elections for senator in Georgia just this week, there have been a few very crucial votes in the United States recently. Though we've discussed those in detail, we'd like to take a moment to talk about a more lighthearted vote.
The vote for Massachusetts state dinosaur.
State Representative Jack Lewis of Framingham thinks that it's high time that his state had its own official dinosaur. And who are we to argue with that? On January 4, he tweeted out a request to his fellow citizens to learn about the candidates and go vote!
150+ votes in the first two hours!
On January 15, I will be filing legislation to declare a Massachusetts State Dinosaur. Can you think of a better way to help kids (and those who are young-at-heart) learn about the legislative process?
But I need your help! https://t.co/T5N9YZJYYj pic.twitter.com/xOCsxNA74y
— Rep. Jack Lewis (@RepJackLewis) January 4, 2021
Digging up the vote
Anchisaurus polyzelus is an early relative of the mighty sauropods, or long-necked dinos. (Courtesy of Rep. Jack Lewis)
As Rep. Lewis' tweet mentions, this sort-of-silly motion has a bigger purpose. To teach young people about the importance of participating in democracy by voting. He set up a Google doc with info about the dinos themselves and challenged the people he represents in government to help him make the choice. Which even with the most complex issues is a lot like how the system works!
And who are the candidates?
- Podokesaurus holyokensis a.k.a. "Swift-footed lizard of Holyoke": First discovered near Mount Holyoke in 1910 by Mignon Talbot, who was also the first woman to name and describe a dinosaur (cool!). Similar in size to a large dog, it was a bipedal carnivore (two-legged running meat-eater).
- Anchisaurus polyzelus a.k.a. "Much sought after near lizard": This herbivore (plant-eater) was found in Springfield, Mass in 1855. Though a relative of the huge sauropods like Brachisaurus and Apatosaurus, it was actually pretty small for a dino. So small infact that its remains were initially thought to be human bones. Yikes!
So which candidate would you choose to be state dinosaur? It's a fun thing to think about, right? Cheers to Rep. Lewis for getting kids involved!
Awesome to be honest