Massachusetts state representatives breathe new life into their childhood fantasies on a public stage.
Podokesaurus holyokensis, a group of coelophysoid dinosaurs that lived nearly 190 million years ago during the Early Jurassic Period, have been named the state’s official dinosaur under legislation signed into law by Governor Charlie Baker.
In a public vote that took place as a social media campaign initiated by state Representative Jack Lewis, Podokesaurus holyokensis received more than 60 percent of the 35,000 total votes.
“If I think about my own childhood… the thing that got me interested in science in the first place was dinosaurs,” the Republican governor said. “And the main reason they got me interested is because of their majesty and their ferocity and their almost alien-being status. As a kid, they just created wonder.”
During the stresses of the pandemic that left the world silenced in fear, Lewis was getting lost in the history of ancient times. He was juggling the brainstorming process for ideas for a state dinosaur and leading projects for the Cub Scout den. The project was a way to combine science and law by educating participants about the legislative process.
“Hopefully, if this project inspires just a couple young girls to grow up and explore paleontology, it would have been all worth it,” he said.
Baker addressed the creature “a tough, spunky underdog from Holyoke” and according to the state, this underdog deserves public recognition. So the authorities of Massachusetts have decided to hop on the trend as other states have also publicly announced state dinosaurs.
Spencer Buell, a reporter for the Boston Globe, shared the story with his Twitter following.
A user commented, “How silly and trivial, with all that’s going on in the world.” When the world sets a rocky stage with the political dilemmas, might as well bring back the dinosaurs. The tough creatures may be a greater source of hope than our elected politicians.
Source: https://youtu.be/79wm4I7Alv8