Mary Anning

Did you know a girl who lived by the sea found real 'sea monsters' older than the mountains? Her name was Mary Anning. Born in 1799 in Lyme Regis, England, Mary grew up on the Jurassic Coast in the early 1800s. She became famous for finding huge fossil skeletons—like ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs—that showed creatures lived long before people. Today we will focus on her biggest impact: unlocking fossils that helped scientists understand extinction and Earth's deep past.

When Mary was about 12 she and her brother discovered the first nearly complete ichthyosaur skeleton. She kept searching the cliffs after storms, carefully chipping away rock, cleaning bones, and selling fossils to support her family. In the 1820s Mary unearthed a plesiosaur and other strange marine creatures. Scientists studied her excellent specimens and used them to learn that some kinds of animals could disappear forever.

Mary worked hard, kept detailed observations, and had a sharp eye — but because she was a working-class woman she often didn’t get credit for her discoveries. Even so, her fossils changed science: they helped start the study of paleontology and made people see Earth's deep history. Today her fossils are in museums and her story inspires explorers and young scientists. Keep asking questions and exploring — you might make the next big discovery, just like Mary Anning!