Mary Anning’s Fossils

The name Mary Anning looms large in the history of paleontology. She made groundbreaking fossil discoveries along England’s Jurassic Coast, transforming our understanding of prehistoric life. Anning’s work helped lay the foundation for modern paleontology and reshaped scientific debates about Earth’s history.

What did Mary Anning Discover?

In the early 19th century, Anning and her brother combed the cliffs and beaches of Lyme Regis to find and sell fossils to support her family. Over the course of her life, Anning’s intelligence and tenacity led her to discover several astonishing, new marine vertebrates including: 

• Ichthyosaurs: In 1810-1811 when she was only 12 years old, Anning and her brother Joseph uncovered the first complete ichthyosaur skeleton. This marine reptile roamed oceans 200 million years ago. Astonishingly, this specimen included fish bones in its stomach, offering early insights into ancient food chains.

• Plesiosaurs: About a decade later, Anning’s most famous find was a nearly complete Plesiosaurus skeleton, a long-necked “sea dragon” It was this find that caused the scientific community to properly recognize the paleontological value of the fossils recovered by Anning and her family.

• Pterosaurs: In 1828, Anning discovered a flying reptile nanmed Dimorphodon. This pterosaur was the first ever discovered outside Germany.

• Coprolites and Ink Sacs: Anning identified fossilized feces (coprolites) and belemnite ink sacs, linking them to ancient marine ecosystems

• In 1829 Anning excavated a fossil fish called Squaloraja, that is an evolutionary link between sharks and rays.

Ichthyosaurus anningae—In Honor of Mary Anning

Ichthyosaurus anningae Photo credit: Dean Lomax

In 2008, Dr. Dean Lomax and Professor Judy Massare examined an ichthyosaur in the collections of the Doncaster Museum and Art Gallery.

According to Lomax, 

“After examining the specimen extensively, (we) identified several unusual features of the limb bones that were completely different to any other ichthyosaur known. After examining over a thousand specimens we found four others with the same features as the Doncaster fossil.”

The pair named the new species Ichthyosaurus anningae in honor of Mary Anning. It is the first “new” ichthyosaurus found in almost 130 years. 

You can join Dr. Lomax on a trip to the Jurassic Coast of Lyme Regis and beyond on Ancient Odysseys' UK Jurassic Journey

Women in science

During Anning’s lifetime, she faced many barriers as a working-class woman in a time when men dominated science. Although she lacked formal scientific training, she was intelligent and taught herself geology, anatomy, paleontology, and scientific illustration.

However, as a woman she was excluded from scientific societies like the Geological Society of London. In time, Anning earned respect among scientists and her contemporaries for her discoveries, local area knowledge, and skill at classifying fossils. 

Anning’s impact on paleontology, evolution and Dr. Lomax

Today, Anning’s legacy lives on. In 2001, the Jurassic Coast and the cliffs of Lyme Regis’s were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Many of Mary Anning's fossil discoveries, including her ichthyosaur, plesiosaur, and pterosaur fossils, are now displayed at the Natural History Museum in London. The Lyme Regis Museum is built on the site of her home and continues to be a fossil shop. Anning's discoveries and proof of extinct species provided critical evidence that supported Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. To this day, Anning continues to inspire academic paleontologists, including Dr. Dean Lomax.