Abby Connolly
In 1811, when Mary was only 12-years-old, she and Joseph made a miraculous find. Joesph found the skull of what would later be known as an Ichthyosaurus while Mary worked at digging it up or excavating it.
It took her several months to dig out the remainder of the skeleton. It was purchased, sold among collectors, and eventually displayed in London.
Over a decade later, in 1824, she made a solo discovery that she’s still well known for today. Mary found the first full, intact skeleton of a Plesiosaurus, otherwise known as a marine reptile.
The fossil was in such amazing condition that people became skeptical if the discovery was real.
In fact, Georges Cuvier, the famous French zoologist, publicly disputed her findings which almost risked her reputation.
After much back and forth, Georges finally realized his mistake when another paleontologist showed him drawings of the Plesiosaurus skeleton.
Once he gave Mary credit, she and her family received the respect they deserved from the scientific community.
Throughout her career as a paleontologist, she made fascinating discoveries, digging up fossil after fossil that would teach the world more about the living beings that were on Earth before us.
In 1828, Mary discovered one of the world’s most recognized prehistoric creatures, which we’ve often seen portrayed in iconic science-fiction films like Jurassic Park – the pterosaur, otherwise known as the pterodactyl! The one she found was the first to be discovered outside Germany.
Like many women who lived centuries before us, she wasn’t always properly credited for her work. For instance, she had become so well-known in science that she started bringing other established scientists with her on fossil-hunting trips. But a number of them didn’t credit her for the work they did with her.
As she got older, Mary received some payments from the British Association for the Advancement of Science and the Geological Society of London for her findings.
