Did You Know Illinois Has 9 Different State Animals, Can You Name Them

Illinois' state animals include a fish, a furry, a feathered one, a couple of slimy ones, a slow mover, another one is nightmare fuel for me, and there's a monster too.

Who Chooses State Animals

How is a state animal chosen seems to be one of those things that varies a bit from state to state. At some point, a suggested animal is put to a legislative vote before it gets the title of "state animal."

There also seems to be no limit to how many state animals a state can have.

New York has 10 state animals

Texas has 8 state animals

Illinois and California have 9 state animals

The states of Iowa and Indiana have zero designated state animals. See what I mean, the 'state animal' thing is all pretty arbitrary.

Can You Name All 9 Illinois State Animals

#1 is the fish,

Bluegill - State Fish of Illinois

#2 is the furry,

White-Tailed Deer - State Animal of Illinois

Get our free mobile app

#3 is the feathered one,

Northern Cardinal - State Bird of Illinois

#4 is the fun one to catch,

Monarch Butterfly - State Insect of Illinois

#5 are the most-beloved house pets,

Shelter Dogs and Cats -  State Pets of Illinois

#6 and #7 are the slimy ones,

Eastern Tiger Salamander - State Amphibian of Illinois

Eastern Milksnake - State Snake (NIGHTMARE FUEL) of Illinois

#8 is the slow mover,

Painted Turtle - State Reptile of Illinois

and lastly,

#9 is the monster,

The Tully Monster - State Fossil of Illinois

The prehistoric Tully Monster (Tullimonstrum gregariumis) is extinct now

Photo of Tullimonstrum Fossil by Ghedoghedo (CC BY-SA 3.0)

This 300,000,000-year-old sea creature was an odd-looking thing. The eyes and that long razor-sharp toothy trunk.

[H/T A-Z Animals]