Mary Anning - born in 1799 to Richard and Mary Anning of Lyme Regis.

Click here for Lyme Regis Philpot Museum Web Page

The cliffs at Lyme Regis are rich in spectacular fossils from the seas of the Jurassic period.

Skull and lower jaw of the ichthyosaur discovered by Mary Anning

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This large skull was collected by Mary Anning (1799-1847), one of the most famous fossil finders of her day. It is part of the skull and lower jaw of an ichthyosaur (Ichthyosaurus platyodon). Ichthyosaurs were dolphin-shaped marine reptiles whose fossil remains are found in rocks ranging in age from the Triassic period (220 million years ago) to the Upper Cretaceous period (90 million years ago). They were most abundant in the Lower Jurassic seas (190 to 180 million years ago). Their fossilised bones are often found in the liassic rocks of the Lower Jurassic of Dorset, Somerset and Yorkshire.

Royal anecdote:

While visiting the British Museum, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert - pausing to admire the fossil of an ichthyosaurus - were introduced to the head of the department, a man named Konig. Prince Albert, recognizing a fellow German countryman by his Teutonic name, asked, "From what part?" Konig's reply? "From the blue lias limestone rock at Lyme Regis in Dorsetshire, Your Royal Highness."

See also: The Natural History Museum of London

Where the Jurassic period fits in the grand scheme of things.