Mary Anning (1799-1847)

Born into a poor family in Lyme Regis, Mary Anning (1799-1847) was a palaeontologist (a fossil hunter). In her days, female scientists didn’t get the praise they deserved but now she is remembered as one of the most famous scientists for her fossil-finding skills.

Early Life

Life at home in Dorset was busy as she had nine siblings. Sadly, only two out of the ten children survived – Mary and Joseph. She was named after her sister who died in a house fire before she was born. When Mary was only a baby, her life was put at risk when three of her carers were struck by lightning!

Discoveries

In 1811 (the year her father died), Mary found her first big discovery which was an ichthyosaur. Her brother had found the skull first and then she found the body. Three more of these were found by Mary but the main big discovery (in 1823) was a plesiosaur. At first, the public didn’t believe it was real because of the size of its head. However, the more she found, the more people believed. This was how she became more well-known.

How will she be remembered?

She will be remembered for her amazing fossils and how she helped to understand evolution and how creatures are linked. In a way, she put down the foundations for people like Darwin.

Click on this image to find out more about the exhibition at the Natural History Museum on Mary Anning.link