As a millennial in her late 20s, my desire to “get woke” about politics and government has reached new heights. I’m trying to be more informed, so I’ve been doing some research, but I never expected to come across a new piece of legislation involving dinosaurs and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Boston.com reports that Rep. Jack Lewis announced on Monday that he will be filing legislation on January 15 to designate an official state dinosaur.

My first question was, why? But then again, why not? There are plenty of states across the nation with their own state dinosaur, like the Triceratops for Wyoming, so why not us?

Rep. Lewis’ reasoning was much more heartfelt, tweeting, “With so much uncertainty in our world today, can you think of a better way to help kids (and those young-at-heart) learn about the legislative process than by naming an official Massachusetts State Dinosaur?”

He provided a link for Massachusetts residents to vote, but you won’t be finding Tyrannosaurus Rex on the list. Instead, two dinosaurs that were residents of the state long before us are in the running: the Podokesauras Holyokensis and the Anchisauras Polyzelus. According to the official document, the Podokesauras Holyokensis translates to “swift-footed lizard of Holyoke” and was first discovered new Mount Holyoke in 1910. The Anchisaurus Polyzelus translates to “much sought after near lizard” and the remains were discovered in Springfield in 1855.

I would have liked to see an oceanic creature on the ballot to reflect our contribution to commercial fishing, but my vote will go to the Anchisaurus Polyzelus because it probably roamed the future streets of the SouthCoast. Can you imagine seeing an Anchisaurus stroll down Union Street in New Bedford?

Click here to vote for the state dinosaur. Fossils not included.

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