This lecture will introduce you to 19th century palaeontologist Mary Anning to discover how she searched the Jurassic rocks of England's south coast to unearth what were believed to be sea dragons but are now referred to as marine reptiles. We will look at the social history and influences of Mary and the 19th century scientists with whom she worked. We will look at these spectacular fossil remains, and the ways in which palaeontologists have revealed how these ancient, extinct animals lived.

The journey will take us into a distant past, from Southwest England to Southern Germany where the shallow seas were inhabited by fish lizards, marine crocodiles and floating islands of tree trunks with ancient starfish like animals attached to them. We will finish by looking at the animals that ruled the land for millions of years, the dinosaurs, and how the first palaeontologists discovered, reconstructed and named these amazing creatures from the Jurassic World.