Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday signed legislation establishing an extinct species to represent the state: a dinosaur.
Baker, a Republican, signed the legislation during a ceremony at the Museum of Science in Boston, although the governor had actually signed the law making the dinosaur the official state rep back in May.
The Podokesaurus holyokensis, or “swift-footed lizard of Holyoke,” lived millions of years ago in what is now Massachusetts and was discovered by Mignon Talbot, a Mount Holyoke College professor and paleontologist, in 1910, according to the magazine of the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
It is estimated to have measured around three to six feet (around one to two meters) in length and weighed approximately 90 pounds (40 kilograms), and could run 9 to 12 mph (14 to 19 kph), according to the university. It also had a carnivorous diet….