Mary Anning Rocks!
Mary Anning Rocks!
Included in general admission | Book Now
Based in our award-winning Jurassic galleries our exhibition ‘Mary Anning Rocks’ celebrates the inspiring story of the renowned palaeontologist. Best known for discovering Jurassic marine fossils in Lyme Regis on the south-western coast of England, this family friendly display will introduce Mary Anning (1799-1847) and explain how this pioneering woman of science changed the way we view the natural world.
Mary Anning was an ordinary person who found fossils in her local area, and even though she was working class and a woman, both characteristics that were discriminated against, she became one of the most significant scientists of the day. She is globally known for discovering what was later confirmed as the first ichthyosaur skeleton when she was 13 years old, and an almost complete plesiosaur skeleton later in her career.
Learn about Mary Anning’s Jurassic discoveries, and then view our Giant Ichthyosaur. At over 180 million years old the incredible specimen was found near Whitby on the North Yorkshire coast. This specific Ichthyosaur is particularly large, measuring around eight metres, making it one of the biggest ever discovered in Britain.

Free Online Talks
Below is our programme of free online talks delivered by a wonderful variety of experts. All expert lectures are now available to rewatch on YouTube and the Yorkshire Museum’s Facebook page.
Tom Sharpe: Mary Anning, The Fossil Woman. Find out more here.
Dr Anjana Khatwa: The Missing: Embracing equitable engagement for science and nature. Find out more here.
Dr Liam Herringshaw: Fossils from Teesside to Spurn: Why Mary Anning would have loved the Yorkshire Coast. Find out more here.
Dr Tori Herridge: The Adventures of Mary Anning and her Network of Trowelblazing Women. Find out more here.
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