Mary canning fossil hunter biography of christopher

Mary Anning, arguably the World’s most famous fossil hunter, lived and worked on the Jurassic Coast, in Lyme Regis, Dorset, UK. Mary was born in Lyme Regis in 1799.

As a child living on the Dorset coast, she would go fossil hunting with her father and brother and was able to teach herself geology and palaeontology with little formal education.

Pioneering Contribution to Palaeontology

Mary Anning made many outstanding pioneering contributions to the world of fossil collecting and palaeontology.

It all began when she identified an Ichthyosaur skeleton at the tender age of 12. She went on to unearth, describe, illustrate, and prepare hundreds of previously undiscovered fossils, that remain some of the most influential palaeontological discoveries of all time.

These exceptional discoveries include the Plesiosaur and pterosaur.

Lifetime Recognition

As a female, self-educated fossil hunter and preparator, Mary Anning received very little personal recognitio