Skip to main content

A deep dive into the lore of DC’s official dinosaur — the ‘Capitalsaurus’

[connatix_element_embed script_id=73045df4f68847ffbf5336ffc7b9d3be player_id=7bc491b4-922b-4e8d-b1b1-150648e80442 video_id=642b2297-f0cb-47ae-bcfa-084a9a5a946a align=right]

Did you know D.C. has its own official dinosaur?

It’s called “Capitalsaurus,” and it was officially recognized by the D.C. Council in the 1990s.

But it was discovered around 100 years before that, in 1898, when a work crew repairing sewer lines in D.C. accidentally excavated part of a dinosaur bone that sparked the curiosity of the entire region.

In this episode of “Matt About Town,” we’re unmasking the identity of Capitalsaurus, diving deep into the backstory behind this mysterious beast that still baffles paleontologists today.

While Capitalsaurus has been in the news before, this deep dive has an exclusive angle: access to the rare Capitalsaurus vertebrae bone, which can only be found deep inside the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History!

Hear “Matt About Town” first every Tuesday and Thursday on 103.5 FM!

If you have a story idea you’d like Matt to cover, email him, or chat with him on Instagram and TikTok.

Check out all “Matt About Town” episodes here!

Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here.

© 2025 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.

Step into a vault of rare texts from Shakespeare and beyond at DC’s Folger Library

Follow WTOP’s Matt Kaufax as he explores hidden gems, local landmarks and unique stories across the D.C. area every week. New episodes of WTOP’s “Matt About Town” segment are released each Tuesday and Thursday. If you venture through a maze of hallways, past layers of tight security, and cross the threshold of what looks like an old-fashioned bank safe door, you'll arrive at one of the rarest collections of books not just in the nation's capital — but in the entire known universe.
Read Next Story