Mary Anning, the celebrated fossil hunter of Lyme Regis, discovered the first complete skeleton of a Plesiosaur, a long-necked marine reptile. This was another spectacular fossil find from the Jurassic cliffs of Dorset, adding to her earlier discovery of an Ichthyosaur. The Plesiosaur, with its unique and unfamiliar anatomy, became a symbol of the strangeness of prehistoric life and further cemented Anning's reputation as a brilliant paleontologist.

The Plesiosaur, with its 'snake through a turtle' appearance, was a creature of pure imagination, one that seemed almost fantastical. Its discovery provided poets and writers with a powerful image of the 'monstrous' and the sublime, a creature from a lost world that defied easy categorization. The Plesiosaur and Ichthyosaur, both discovered by Anning, became key symbols of the 'Age of Reptiles' and have inspired countless works of literature and poetry.