The Royal Mint Commemoration: Who is Fossil Hunter Mary Anning?
A fossil is the shape of a bone, shell, and plant or animal that has been preserved in a rock for a very long period. When talking about fossils, it is hard not to mention one of the pioneering fossil hunters, Mary Anning.
Who is Marry Anning?
Mary Anning was born in Lyme Regis, Dorset in 1799. She was born to Richard and Mary and resided on the southern shores of Great Britain. The cliffs of Lyme Regis, where Mary lived were rich in wonderful fossils that were remnants of the Jurassic period. When she was around 12 years old, Mary Anning and her brother Joseph discovered a temnodontosaurus for the first time. It was 1810.
Her father was a cabinetmaker and an occasional fossil collector and Mary Anning’s entire family was involved in fossil hunting. But Mary’s skill and dedication led her to discover many remarkable fossils and provided a means for her to support her family when her father died leaving them in debt and without a breadwinner.
Recognition of Her Work
Due to belonging to the working class, Anning’s work and achievements were ignored for a long time. But things have changed and her work is being celebrated now. The Royal Mint has collaborated with the Natural History Museum on the 50p coins and these are going to feature the Jurassic creatures discovered by Anning.
'The Mary Anning collection' - as it is named, is an effort to highlight her understanding and findings of palaeontology and important contributions to science that were rarely acknowledged in her lifetime. The first coin released features the temnodontosaurus whereas other coins will focus on her discoveries of the plesiosaurus and the dimorphodon.
According to The Royal Mint, the coins will feature 'a scientifically accurate reconstruction of the creatures and the environment that they existed in.'