State Fossil

Virginia’s state fossil is the scallop, Chesapecten jeffersonius, appropriately named in honor of Thomas Jefferson. The General Assembly designated the Chesapecten as the state fossil in 1993. These fossils, dating to approximately 4.5 million years ago, are commonly found along the James River in Surry and James City counties.

 

 

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State shell

An integral part of Virginia’s natural and cultural history, the oyster, Crassostrea virginica, was approved in 1974 as the state shell by Virginia’s General Assembly. Oysters live in underwater assemblages in the brackish water of the Chesapeake Bay.