Geology Reference
In-Depth Information
Geo-Focus
Mary Anning's Contributions to Paleontology
Paleontologists use fossils to study life
of the past, so part of their efforts are
spent in fi nding and collecting fossils.
Western European men dominated the
early history of this fi eld, but this situa-
tion no longer prevails. Indeed, men and
women from many countries are now
making signifi cant contributions. Per-
haps the most notable early exception is
Mary Anning (1799-1847), who began
a remarkable career as a fossil collector
when she was only 11 years old.
Mary Anning was born in Lyme
Regis on England's southern coast.
When only 15 months old, she survived
a lightning strike that, according to one
report, killed three girls, and accord-
ing to another, killed a nurse tending
her. In 1810, Mary's father, a cabinet
maker who also sold fossils part time,
died, leaving the family nearly destitute.
Mary Anning (
of a Jurassic ichthyosaur, which was
described in 1814 by Sir Everard
Home. The sale of this fossil specimen
provided considerable fi nancial relief
for her family. In 1821, she made a
second major discovery and excavated
the remains of a plesiosaur. And in
1828, she found the fi rst pterosaur in
England, which was sent to the emi-
nent geologist William Buckland at
Oxford University.
By 1830, Mary Anning's fortunes
began declining as collectors and
museums had fewer funds with which
to buy fossils. Indeed, she may once
again have become destitute were it
not for her geologist friend Henry
Thomas de la Beche, also a resident
of Lyme Regis. De la Beche drew a
fanciful scene called
Duria antiquior,
meaning “An earlier Dorset,” in which
he brought to life the fossils Mary
Anning had collected. The scene
was made into a lithograph that was
printed and sold widely, and its pro-
ceeds went directly to Mary Anning.
Mary Anning died of cancer in
1847, and although only 48 years old,
she had a fossil-collecting career that
spanned 37 years. Her contributions
to paleontology are now widely recog-
nized, but, unfortunately, soon after
her death, she was mostly forgotten.
Apparently, the people who purchased
Image not available due to copyright restrictions
Figure 1) expanded
the fossil business and became a pro-
fessional fossil collector known to the
paleontologists of her time, some of
whom visited her shop to buy fossils or
gather information. She collected fossils
from the Dorset coast near Lyme Regis
and is reported to have been the inspi-
ration for the tongue twister, “She sells
seashells by the seashore.”
Soon after her father's death, Mary
Anning made her fi rst important
discovery, a nearly complete skeleton
◗
her fossils were credited with fi nding
them. “It didn't occur to them to credit
a woman from the lower classes with
such astonishing work. So an unedu-
cated little girl, with a quick mind and
an accurate eye, played a key role in
setting the course of the 19th century
geologic revolution. Then—we simply
forgot about her.”*
*John H. Lienhard, Professor, College of
Engineering, University of Houston.
reptiles? Long ago, scientists were aware of the relationships
between these two groups of animals. Birds and reptiles both
lay shelled, yolked eggs, and both share several skeletal charac-
teristics, such as the way the jaw attaches to the skull. Further-
more, since 1860, approximately 10 fossils have been recovered
from the Solnhofen Limestone of Germany that provide evi-
dence for reptile-bird relationships. The fossils defi nitely have
feathers and a wishbone, consisting of the fused clavicle bones
so typical of birds, and yet, in most other physical characteris-
tics, they most closely resemble small theropod dinosaurs.
These remarkable fossils, known as
Archaeopteryx
(from
Greek “archaios,” ancient and “pteryx”, feather) are birds by defi -
nition, but their numerous reptilian features convince scientists
that their ancestors were among theropods (
Even the fused clavicles (wishbone) are found in several thero-
pods, and during the last several years, paleontologists in China
have discovered theropods with feathers, providing more evi-
dence for this relationship. The few that oppose the theropod-
bird view note that theropods are found in Cretaceous-age
rocks, but
Archaeopteryx
is Jurassic. However, some of the fossils
from China are about the same age as
Archaeopteryx
, narrowing
the gap between presumed ancestor and descendant.
Another fossil bird from China that is slightly younger
than
Archaeopteryx
retains ribs in the abdominal region just
as
Archaeopteryx
and small theropods, but it has a reduced tail
more like present-day birds. More fossils found in China in
2004 and 2005 of fi ve specimens of an Early Cretaceous bird
indicate that today's birds may have had an aquatic ancestor.
◗
Figure 22.28).
Search WWH ::
Custom Search