Mary Anning was a prolific English fossil hunter and amateur anatomist credited with the discovery of several dinosaur specimens that assisted in the early development of paleontology.

Annings findings in the Jurassic marine fossil beds in Lyme Regis in Dorset contributed to changes in scientific thinking about prehistoric life and the history of the Earth. Annings specimens were studied by a number of British scientists which provided insights into The Earth’s geologic history.