Mary Anning's fossils

Mary Anning was a pioneering fossil collector from the early 19th century, known for discovering important prehistoric creatures along England’s Jurassic Coast. Her finds included the first complete Ichthyosaurus and Plesiosaurus skeletons, which helped scientists better understand Earth's ancient past. Anning's fossil discoveries provided crucial evidence for extinct animals and contributed significantly to paleontology, despite facing societal barriers of her time. Her work laid foundational knowledge about marine reptiles from the age of the dinosaurs, and she is now recognized as a key figure in the development of fossil science.