Described and named in 1821 from partial and disassociated remains, the skeleton of Plesiosaurus was only fully revealed with the discovery by Mary Anning of a near-complete specimen at Lyme Regis on the south coast of England on 10 December 1823. Recognising its significance as ‘the first and only one discovered in Europe’, she sent news of her find to potential purchasers, some of her letters accompanied by either outline sketches or by well-executed scale drawings. At least ten copies of her drawings were soon in circulation, with several simple sketches reaching comparative anatomist Georges Cuvier in Paris and questioning whether the surprisingly—and uniquely—long neck and small head were truly associated with the rest of the skeleton. The first description of the specimen was given by William Daniel Conybeare at a meeting of the Bristol Philosophical Society on 30 January 1824, using a drawing he had been sent by Anning. With her drawing, Conybeare again spoke on the specimen at meetings in London prior to the specimen's arrival in time for a much-anticipated meeting of the Geological Society on 20 February 1824 when the specimen elicited the close attention of the geologists. On receipt of a drawing from Conybeare, however, by April 1824 Cuvier was convinced of its authenticity and was moved to state that he would not be surprised by any discovery made in the Blue Lias of Lyme Regis. Anning's 1823 Plesiosaurus discovery established her fame and reputation as a fossilist.

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