Mary Anning · Science
The near-complete plesiosaur Anning found in 1823 was so strange that Georges Cuvier, the greatest anatomist in Europe, suspected a forgery - until he examined it, conceded his error, and helped make it famous. The specimen that nearly broke the law of anatomy became a proof of the vanished ancient sea.
You learned that in December 1823 Anning found the first near-complete Plesiosaurus dolichodeirus ; that Cuvier, applying his ‘law of correlation of parts,’ suspected the long-necked skeleton was forged; and that on examining it he conceded it was real, establishing both Anning’s reliability and the…
Leads to Georges Cuvier.
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