Anning, Mary (1799–1847)

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Anning, Mary (1799–1847)

English fossil collector. Born at Lyme Regis, England, in May 1799; died on March 9, 1847; daughter of Richard Anning (a cabinetmaker and one of the earliest collectors and dealers in fossils).

In 1811, Mary Anning was only a 12-year-old child when she discovered the first skeleton of an ichthyosaur, bringing her to scientific attention. In 1821, she found the remains of a new saurian, the plesiosaurus. Seven years later, she unearthed the remains of a pterodactyl (Dimorphodon), the first time such a discovery had been made in England.