FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM) -- Cypress Oury isn`t your typical teenager.
The Fayetteville High School junior is a self-described paleontology expert for his age.
Oury is at the forefront of a push to make the Arkansaurus Friday the official dinosaur of Arkansas.
The foot, and other portions of the Arkansaurus, were first found in the late 1970s near Lockesburg, Arkansas. Paleontologists believe the dinosaur roamed the region more than 100 million years ago.
“Not just dinosaur lovers care about this thing,” Oury said.
Oury said the Arkansaurus is one of four dinosaurs to ever be found in The Natural State.
However, it is the only one exclusive to Arkansas.
“This one is the only dinosaur that bleeds Razorback red, I guess you could say,” Oury said.
Oury said he wanted the Arkansaurus to be selected as the state’s official dinosaur because it has never been located anywhere else.
Oury contacted many state legislators, like Fayetteville’s Greg Leding, to back his initiative.
“Things like this help the state establish its own identity,” Leding said. “We deal with so many important and serious issues. It is nice to have something like this.”
Leding said he was impressed by Oury`s deep knowledge of the Arkansaurus, and his desire to push it through law.
“He had already drafted a bill to do this, looking at existing legislation,” Leding said.
Oury said it was easy to get the attention of law makers, due to his belief that everyone has a small part of them that loves dinosaurs.
“It is awakening the 6-year-old in everybody,” Oury said.
Leding agreed.
“The 13-year-old in me that remembers reading Jurassic Park as a kid had me really excited [to support the proposal],” Leding said.
Leding said he hoped to have a bill cosponsored in both the State House, and Senate, by the next session in 2017.
Oury said he felt the initiative would help bring more awareness to the necessities of understanding the earth’s history.
“It helps us broaden our knowledge of this planet we live on,” Oury said.