You hail from the Centennial State and think you know all the ins and outs, right? Well, did you know that Colorado has a designated state pet? Or that we have our own official dinosaur? What about the state nickname… do you know how it came to be? If you are as frazzled as I was (before researching this article), read on and discover 12 things you never knew about Colorado:

1. Let us begin with everything mentioned in our intro: the Colorado state pet is both rescue dogs and cats.
Flickr/tohu
Named the Senate bill 13-201, this bill took effect in 2013 and states that all rescue animals be considered the state pet.
2. The state dinosaur is the Stegosaurus.
Wikimedia Commons
Why a Stegosaurus? Local scientists have determined that this herbivore not only lived in Colorado but thrived during its prime in the late Jurassic Period.
3. And we got our nickname because of when we entered the Union.
Flickr/Jerry and Pat Donaho
Contrary to popular belief, the Colorado state nickname is not the Rocky Mountain State, it's the Centennial State, as our admittance to statehood came exactly 100 years after the country’s conception.
4. The geographic center of Colorado lies in the small town of Tarryall.
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To give you an idea of where this is, it approximately 30 minutes northwest of Pikes Peak.
5. The Colorado state motto is "Nil sine numine."
Wikimedia Commons
Translation: Nothing without providence. It was adopted in 1861 before we even became an official state.
6. As of 2017, the population of Colorado is a cool 5.607 million.
Flickr/JuliaBarn
In comparison to the other 50 states, we are the 21st largest (or 29th smallest, depending on how you like to look at it).

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7. Despite popular belief, the official Colorado state song is NOT "Rocky Mountain High" by John Denver.
Flickr/Michele Dorsey Walfred
While Denver’s ballad is extremely popular, the official tune is, in fact, "Where the Columbines Grow" by A.J. Flynn.
8. The Colorado state amphibian is the Tiger Salamander.
Wikimedia Commons
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
9. The state fish is the Greenback Cutthroat Trout.
Flickr/jsmclaren
Again... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
10. And the state reptile is the Western Painted Turtle.
Wikimedia Commons
According to the Colorado government website, "In 2007, Jay Baichi's 4th grade class began the process to get the Western Painted Turtle designated as the Colorado State Reptile. His 4th grade class the next year completed the legal steps and Governor Ritter signed HB 08-1017 on March 18, 2008." So fun, right?!
11. Directly translated, Colorado means "colored red."
Flickr/Bill Gracey
Any guesses as to which language this is? If you guessed Spanish, you are correct!
12. What do you think the Colorado state sport would be? Football? Baseball?
Flickr/Linn County Fair
Nope! The actual official Colorado sport is pack burro racing!

For even more Colorado randomness, check out these 10 Shocking Things You Didn’t Know About Colorado.

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