Mary Anning, Fossil Hunter: What Does the Author Think?

Mary Anning, Fossil Hunter

1About two hundred years ago, a girl named Mary Anning lived in a small town by the sea in England. Tall, rocky cliffs stood along the shore. Hidden in those rocks were fossils, the remains of plants and animals from long, long ago. I think Mary Anning is one of the most amazing people in the history of science.

2Mary's family did not have much money. Her father collected fossils from the cliffs and sold them to visitors. He taught Mary how to spot them. When Mary was still a child, she and her brother, Joseph, found the skeleton of a large sea reptile. It had a long snout and rows of sharp teeth. Scientists were eager to study it.

3As she grew up, Mary kept searching. She found many more fossils, including a sea reptile with a very long neck. She often went out after winter storms, when chunks of the cliffs had fallen and new fossils could be seen. Falling rocks made this work dangerous. In my view, searching below those crumbling cliffs took real courage.

4Mary did not just find fossils. She read about science and taught herself about animal bones. Scientists came from big cities to buy her fossils and ask her questions. Yet when they wrote about the discoveries, many of them left out her name. At that time, women were not allowed to join the science groups that these men belonged to. I believe that was very unfair to Mary.

5Today, many people know Mary Anning's name, and her fossils are kept in museums. But I wish more children learned about her in school. Mary did not give up, even when people did not treat her fairly. Everyone should know the story of this brave fossil hunter.