Mary Anning (1799-1847)

• Anning was an English fossil hunter and palaeontologist.
• She became a fossil hunter at a young age to help provide income for her family.
• When Anning was 12, she discovered a fossil of an ichthyosaur and two plesiosaur skeletons.
• During her work, she discovered 34 new fish species and this work laid down a foundation for Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.
• As a female, Anning was not allowed a career in science nor to join the Geological Society Of London.
• Despite this prohibition, many of her contemporary researchers sought her for consultations about prehistoric anatomy and fossils.