The Poor Girl Who Found a Sea Monster

The Poor Girl Who Found a Sea Monster A poor twelve year old girl found a sea monster in a cliff. And the scientists took the credit. This really happened. England, 1811. Mary Anning's family was so poor, they sold seashell fossils to tourists to buy bread. Her father died, and the family was left in debt. So Mary kept searching the dangerous cliffs, every day after storms. Then she saw it. A skull, as long as she was tall, with huge eyes and teeth. It took months to dig out. It was a creature no one had ever seen: an ichthyosaur, a sea reptile from the age of dinosaurs. Mary kept going. She found the first plesiosaur, a sea monster with a neck like a snake. Famous scientists bought her fossils, and wrote papers about them. Most never mentioned her name. She was a woman, and poor. She was not even allowed to join their society. But today, she is remembered as one of the greatest fossil hunters who ever lived. That's Mary Anning. The poor girl who found sea monsters, and changed science. Comment MARY.