Against the odds, paleontologist Mary Anning (1799-1847) became a pioneering fossil collector, dealer, and self-taught paleontologist. She persevered despite encountering significant barriers as a woman in science. She learned to hunt for fossils along the Jurassic Coast from her father. This poor and uneducated girl became recognized as one of the ten most notable women scientists in history. In 1811, at twelve, she and her brother discovered the skull of an ichthyosaur, a m