Fossils, Geology & Nature
While he was still a boy he became interested in fossils. He and his friends formed a club and would collect fossils from the nearby river Severn. In 1819 Jenner made an amazing discovery. He discovered the bones of a plesiosaur. The plesiosaur was an ancient dinosaur that lived in water. In 1824 a complete plesiosaur was discovered in Dorset.
Jenner's interest in fossils naturally led him into geology. He was a keen observer and was interested in the latest geologic theories of the time. He read the works of William Smith on stratigraphy. Jenner also corresponded regularly with Erasmus Darwin the grandfather of Charles Darwin. Erasmus was the first to introduce the concept of evolution to the general public in 1794Jenner and Hunter continued to correspond through the years. As Jenner lived in the country he had much better access to animals in their natural habitat. One subject that was on interest to both of them was hibernation. They both were fascinated that animals had the ability to slow down and suspend their body normal operation for long periods of time.One of the common beliefs of the time was that birds hibernated in the mud during the winter. Jenner listened to stories of birds that were seen flying over the ocean in the spring and fall. He examined several birds he found they birds were well fed and not covered in mud or dirt. This led him to the conclusion that the birds left England, and then returned a few months later. Jenner shared these thought s with another person he corresponded with, Joseph Banks. Joseph banks was the botanist for captain cook when he sailed in the south pacific.