Minnesota is one of 23 states that has no state animal or mammal designation.  Don't you think we should have?  After all Minnesota has a state mushroom, state gem, state muffin and state photograph.

What made me think about this was information I saw about the state animal in Missouri.  The Show Me State designated it's official animal the mule in 1995.

Iowa is the birthplace of my Mother.  It's where my parents met and fell in love.  Iowa has no official state animal or mammal.

My Father was born and raised in Minneapolis.  He went to Dairy School in Wisconsin which has three state animals.  In 1957 they adopted the badger.  In 1971 the domestic animal chosen was the dairy cow and in 1957 the state wildlife animal named was the white-tailed deer.

According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources there are an estimated 1.5 million deer in what we affectionately call the Gopher State.  When I was growing up in Spring Valley, Minnesota there were a lot of gophers.  It wouldn't be a bad choice although there are not as many now.

Minnesota has more bald eagles and more gray wolves than any state in the lower 48.

That's why I believe we should name the Gray Wolf our official state animal or mammal.

The official state bird is the loon.  The bald eagle would have been a logical choice because of it's status here but when the loon was chosen in 1961 maybe the numbers of bald eagles were not as great.

The sperm whale is the official state animal of Connecticut. Chosen in 1975.

New Hampshire, Ohio, Oklahoma, Illinois, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Wisconsin all have chosen white-tailed deer as at least one of their state animals.

California, Montana have the grizzly bear.  West Virginia, New Mexico the black bear.

New Jersey chose a horse in 1977, Vermont a Morgan horse in 1961.

Curious to note, Florida chose the panther it's state animal in 1982.  Currently there are an estimated 130 panthers in the Sunshine State while there are an estimated 1.3 million alligators.

There's something to chew on.

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