Mary Anning

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1799 — 1843

Royaume-Uni de Grande-Bretagne et d'Irlande

SciencesScientifique19th Century

Féminisme

Émotions disponibles (6)

Neutre

par défaut

Inspirée

Pensive

Surprise

Triste

Fière

Key Facts

Works & Achievements

Discovery of the first complete ichthyosaur (1811)

Mary and her brother Joseph uncovered the first complete ichthyosaur skeleton (a Jurassic marine reptile) at Lyme Regis. This find was one of the first concrete pieces of evidence for the existence of extinct species.

Discovery of the first complete plesiosaur (1823)

Mary unearthed a nearly intact plesiosaur skeleton, sparking an international debate among scientists. The naturalist Georges Cuvier ultimately confirmed the authenticity of the specimen.

Identification of the first British pterosaur (Dimorphodon) (1828)

She discovered Dimorphodon macronyx, the first fossil flying reptile identified in Great Britain. William Buckland described the species but explicitly acknowledged Mary's role in the find.

Identification of coprolites (1824)

Mary Anning was the first to understand that the 'bezoars' found near fossil skeletons were in fact fossilised excrement (coprolites). This discovery made it possible to study the diet of extinct species.

Discovery of Squaloraja (fossil fish) (1829)

She identified a fossil of a shark-ray (Squaloraja) representing a transitional link between two groups of fish. Louis Agassiz, the foremost specialist in fossil fish, acknowledged the exceptional precision of her observations.

Anecdotes

At the age of fifteen months, Mary Anning was struck by lightning during a violent storm in Lyme Regis. Three people who were with her perished on the spot, but the little girl miraculously survived. Her neighbours attributed her exceptional intelligence and curiosity to this event.

In 1823, Mary Anning discovered the first complete plesiosaur skeleton ever unearthed. The palaeontologist William Conybeare, who published the findings under his name alone, nonetheless acknowledged that without her, the discovery would never have been made. Mary received neither official credit nor compensation commensurate with the scientific importance of the find.

In 1833, during one of her daily outings along the cliffs, a rockfall killed her faithful dog Tray and very nearly took her own life as well. She nonetheless continued her research in the aftermath of this tragedy, as selling fossils was the only way for her to support her family.

The English tongue twister 'She sells seashells by the seashore' is said to have been inspired by Mary Anning, who did indeed sell her fossil finds to tourists and collectors along the seafront at Lyme Regis.

Despite her groundbreaking discoveries, Mary Anning was never accepted as a full member of the Geological Society of London, which was reserved for men. She was, however, one of the first women to receive an annual pension from the British Association for the Advancement of Science, shortly before her death.

Primary Sources

Letter from Mary Anning to Mr. Jourdain (1828)

I beg to inform you that I have lately discovered a new animal... which I believe will prove a great curiosity to all who take an interest in Natural History.

William Conybeare's memoir on the plesiosaur, Transactions of the Geological Society (1824)

This specimen was discovered by Miss Mary Anning of Lyme Regis, in whose hands have been found so many valuable additions to our knowledge of the fossil ichthyosauri.

Letter from Louis Agassiz dedicating two species to Mary Anning (1838)

I dedicate these species to Miss Mary Anning, whose name deserves to be remembered by all those who are interested in the progress of science.

Journal of Reverend William Buckland mentioning his visits to Lyme Regis (1824)

Miss Anning pointed out to me the layers in which the fossil fish are found, and explained with great accuracy the geological succession of the strata.

Key Places

Lyme Regis, Dorset

Mary Anning's hometown, on the English Channel coast. The region's Jurassic cliffs are among the most fossil-rich in Europe, and it is here that she spent her entire life prospecting.

Jurassic Coast

A 185 km coastline designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, of which Lyme Regis is the historic heart. Mary Anning was its first systematic explorer and revealed its exceptional palaeontological potential.

Natural History Museum, London

Several of the fossils discovered by Mary Anning are preserved and displayed there, including the 1811 ichthyosaur. She sold them to institutions and collectors who later bequeathed them to the museum.

Anning Fossil Shop, Church Street, Lyme Regis

A small shop run by Mary and her mother, where she displayed and sold her fossil finds. She welcomed renowned scientists there, including William Buckland and Henry de la Beche.

Typical Objects

Geological hammer

An essential tool for Mary Anning to carefully extract fossils from the limestone cliffs. She always carried several of different sizes depending on the hardness of the rock.

Ichthyosaur skeleton

The discovery of a complete ichthyosaur in 1811 was the find that launched Mary's career. These marine reptiles from the Jurassic era revolutionized the nascent field of palaeontology.

Wicker basket

Mary transported her fossils in sturdy baskets during her expeditions on the beach. She would then sell them to collectors and museums to support her family's needs.

Naturalist's magnifying glass

Mary used a magnifying glass to examine the details of fossils and belemnites. Despite having no academic training, she developed an expert eye recognised by the greatest scientists of her time.

Field notebook

She carefully recorded the exact location and nature of the geological layers where she found her specimens. Her notes are today considered valuable sources for modern geologists.

Bezoar (coprolite)

Mary Anning was the first to identify 'bezoars' as fossilised excrement from marine reptiles, later renamed 'coprolites'. This discovery made it possible to reconstruct the diet of prehistoric animals.

School Curriculum

Cycle 4 (5e-3e)SVT

LycéeSVT

Vocabulary & Tags

Key Vocabulary

Daily Life

Morning

Mary rose early, before the high tides, as it was the best time to prospect the freshly eroded cliffs. She set out alone or with her dog on the beach at Lyme Regis, her basket and hammers slung over her shoulder, methodically inspecting the Jurassic rock faces.

Afternoon

In the afternoon, she cleaned and prepared the fossils found that morning in the family's back shop. She occasionally received geologists and collectors who had come from across England, explaining local stratigraphy to them with great precision.

Evening

In the evenings, Mary read whatever scientific works she could obtain, studied fossil anatomy by candlelight, and wrote up her observations. She copied entire articles from the Transactions of the Geological Society by hand in order to have them in her personal library.

Food

Like most English working-class families of the 19th century, the Annings lived modestly: bread, cheese, garden vegetables, and fresh fish from the English Channel. Prosperous periods — following the sale of a major fossil — allowed them to eat meat and improve their daily fare.

Clothing

Mary wore a dark, practical wool dress, a waterproof cape on the frequent rainy days along the Dorset coast, and a bonnet tied under her chin. Her sturdy ankle boots were suited to walking on pebbles and slippery rocks.

Housing

The Anning family lived in a small, modest house on Church Street in Lyme Regis, whose ground floor served as both shop and workshop. The home was cramped but well known among the scientists and tourists who came to admire the fossils displayed in the shop window.

Historical Timeline

1799Naissance de Mary Anning à Lyme Regis, Dorset, dans une famille d'artisans pauvres.

1807Fondation de la Geological Society of London, qui exclut les femmes de ses rangs pendant des décennies.

1810Mort de son père Richard Anning, qui lui avait enseigné la recherche de fossiles ; Mary prend en charge les revenus familiaux.

1811Mary et son frère Joseph découvrent le premier squelette complet d'ichthyosaure, vendu pour 23 livres sterling au British Museum.

1815Napoléon est vaincu à Waterloo ; l'Angleterre entre dans une ère de stabilité et d'essor scientifique.

1823Découverte du premier plésiosaure complet, qui remet en question les théories de l'extinction des espèces.

1825Inauguration de la première ligne de chemin de fer publique en Angleterre (Stockton-Darlington), symbole de la révolution industrielle.

1828Mary Anning découvre le Dimorphodon, premier ptérosaure identifié en Grande-Bretagne.

1830Publication des 'Principles of Geology' de Charles Lyell, qui transforme la compréhension de l'âge de la Terre.

1832Reform Act en Grande-Bretagne : début des réformes démocratiques, mais les femmes restent exclues du vote.

1833Un éboulement de falaise tue le chien de Mary Anning ; elle poursuit ses recherches malgré les dangers quotidiens.

1838Le paléontologue Louis Agassiz dédie deux espèces de poissons fossiles à Mary Anning en reconnaissance de ses découvertes.

1842Richard Owen forge le terme 'dinosaure' pour désigner les grands reptiles fossiles, un domaine dont Mary Anning a posé les bases.

Period Vocabulary

Ichthyosaur — From the Greek 'fish-lizard': an extinct marine reptile of the Jurassic era, resembling a dolphin. The term was popularised following Mary Anning's discoveries.

Geology — The science of the composition and history of the Earth, which flourished in the 19th century. The Geological Society of London was founded in 1807 and established the discipline as an academic science.

Fossil — From the Latin 'fossilis' (dug from the ground): remains or impressions of ancient organisms preserved in rock. In the early 19th century, their exact significance (extinct species) was still debated.

Stratum — A layer of sedimentary rock formed during a given period. The study of strata (stratigraphy) helped establish that the Earth had a very long history, long before Darwin.

Coprolite — Fossilised excrement of a prehistoric animal. Mary Anning was the first to correctly identify these objects, previously called 'bezoars' or 'serpent stones'.

Plesiosaur — A large marine reptile of the Mesozoic era, with a long neck and four flippers. The first complete skeleton was discovered by Mary Anning in 1823 and caused a sensation in the scientific community.

Naturalist — A scholar who studies nature (minerals, plants, animals). In the 19th century, this was often a wealthy gentleman amateur — which de facto excluded a poor woman like Mary Anning from official circles.

Diluvialism — The theory that fossils were the remains of animals swept away by the biblical flood. Mary Anning's discoveries helped demonstrate that species had evolved and disappeared long before the flood.

Extinction — The total disappearance of a living species. Until the discoveries of Georges Cuvier and the fossils of Lyme Regis, many refused to accept that God could have allowed entire species to perish.

Gallery

Duria Antiquior

Mary Anning painting

Mary Anning by B. J. Donne

Mar09 March Anning dies

Mar9 Woman of the Day

Mary Anning statue detail

Head on view of the statue of Mary Anning

Mary Anning Statue Maquette2

Mary Anning Statue Maquette1

Mary Anning statue with background

Visual Style

Esthétique côtière victorienne austère : falaises jurassiques stratifiées en gris et ocre, lumière d'argent sur la Manche, personnage en tenue pratique dégageant des fossiles dans la roche.

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AI Prompt

Early Victorian England, rugged Dorset coastline, dramatic Jurassic cliffs of grey and ochre limestone layered with dark shale. Overcast skies with silver sea light. A young woman in a practical dark wool dress, bonnet, and sturdy boots, kneeling on a rocky beach with a geological hammer. Fossil ammonites, ichthyosaur skulls, and belemnites embedded in the rock. Watercolor and scientific illustration aesthetic, muted coastal palette: stone grey, sea green, fossil cream, charcoal black, Prussian blue.

Sound Ambience

L'univers sonore de Mary Anning mêle le fracas des vagues sur les falaises jurassiques du Dorset, les cris des mouettes et les coups réguliers de son marteau de géologue sur la roche calcaire.

AI Prompt

Sounds of crashing waves on rocky shores, wind howling along chalk and limestone cliffs, seagulls crying overhead. The rhythmic tapping of a geological hammer on stone, small rocks and pebbles cascading down a cliff face. The distant sound of a Victorian seaside town: horse-drawn carts on cobblestones, merchants calling out, a ship's bell in the harbor. Waves retreating over shingle beaches, the scraping of a chisel carefully revealing fossil bone.

Portrait Source

Wikimedia Commons — domaine public — Credited to 'Mr — 1842