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Gallery: State of Mississippi symbols

state flag
State flag
map of Missississpi
State map

Quiz: Mississippi, like other states, has official symbols that represent our cultural heritage and natural resources. Challenge yourself with the items below- see how many official state symbols you can name.

(Place your cursor over an Item for the answer.)


    •   1. Answer Beverage
      • milk
        Milk
    •   2. Answer Bird
      • northern mockingbird
        Northern mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)
    •   3. Answer Butterfly
      • spice swallowtail
        Spice Swallowtail (Papilio troilus linnaeus)
    •   4. Answer Dance
      • square dance
        Square Dance
    •   5. Answer Fish
      • largemouth bass
        Largemouth (Black) Bass (Micropterus salmoides)
    •   6. Answer Flower and tree
      • magnolia
        Magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora)
    •   7. Answer Fossil
      • prehistoric whale
        Prehistoric Whale (Zygorhiza kochii)
    •   8. Answer Fruit
      • blueberry
        Blueberry
    •   9. Answer Gemstone
      • mississippi opal
        Mississippi Opal
    • 10. Answer Insect
      • bee
        Honeybee (Apis mellifera)
    • 11. Answer Land mammal 1
      • white-tailed deer
        White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
    • 12. Answer Land mammal 2
      • the red fox
        The Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)
    • 13. Answer Language
      • english
        English

    • 14. Answer Motto
      • "By valor and arms" ("Virtute et armis")
    • 15. Answer Nicknames
      • "The Hospitality State," "The Magnolia State"
    • 16. Answer Poem
      • Paul Ott's "I Am Mississippi"
    • Access poem
    • 17. Answer Reptile
      • american alligator
        American Alligator (Alligator mississippiensis)
    • 18. Answer Shell
      • oyster shell
        Oyster shell (Crassostrea virginica)
    • 19. Answer Soil
      • natchez silt loam
        Natchez Silt Loam
    • 20. Answer Song
      • Originally, Houston Davis' "Go Mississippi." Replaced in 2022 by Steve Azar's "One Mississippi."
    • Access song
    • 21. Answer Stone
      • petrified wood
        Petrified wood
    • 22. Answer Toy
      • teddy bear
        Teddy Bear
    • 23. Answer Water mammal
      • bottlenosed dolphin
        Bottlenosed Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus)
    • 24. Answer Waterfowl
      • wood duck
        Wood Duck
        (Aix sponsa)
    • 25. Answer Wildflower
      • tickseed plant
        Tickseed Plant (Coreopsis)

Fun fact: Did you know that the term "Mississippi" was derived from the word "Messipi"? "Messipi" is the French version for either the Ojibwe or Algonquin name for the "Misi-ziibi River" meaning "great river."


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