High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Twenty-six U.S. states have named an official state reptile. As with other state symbols, states compare admirable aspects of the reptile and of the state, within designating statutes. They also note historical use or economic benefits from the creature, and discuss how widespread the animal is in the state or how it needs preservation. Schoolchildren often start campaigns promoting their favorite reptile to encourage state legislators to enact it as a state symbol. Many Secretaries of State maintain educational web pages that describe the state reptile.