Mary Anning (1799 – 1847)

As the first female paleontologist, Mary Anning was the first to discover the complete skeleton of a Plesiosaurus, but lacked recognition and credit from her male contemporaries until after her death.

Anning was born on May 21st, 1799 in Lyme Regis, England to Mary and Richard Anning. Anning’s father was a cabinetmaker and fossil collector, sparking Anning’s interest in fossils. At the early age of six, Anning was at her father’s side to excavate and clean fossils. After her father’s death, the Anning family was forced into poverty and sold fossils, until Lt.-Col. Thomas Birch held an auction with the family’s fossils, with all proceeds going to the Anning family.

From a young age, Anning made several historical discoveries, including discovering the first specimen of the Ichthyosaurus at the age of 12. Anning’s most important and famous discovery is the discovery of the first complete skeleton of a Plesiosaurus.

Through her discoveries, Anning played a key role in apprising her male contemporaries, including William Buckland, Henry de la Beche, and William Conybeare.

Despite her significant role, male scientists often did not credit Anning in their papers. Similarly, Anning’s findings ended up in museums, but with little or no credit to her.

It was not until after Anning’s death that she received credit for her research and discoveries.