Ground Beetle

Biography:

Baron Cuvier 1769-1832

Cuvier was a French naturalist, zoologist and a major figure in natural sciences and research in the early 19th century and instrumental in establishing the fields of comparative anatomy and paleontology through his work in comparing living animals with fossils. Cuvier’s work is considered the foundation of vertebrate paleontology, and he expanded Linnaean taxonomy by grouping classes into phyla and incorporating both fossils and living species into the classification. From his most famous work isLe Regne Animal(1817; English:The Animal Kingdom). In 1819, he was created a peer for life in honor of his scientific contributions. Thereafter, he was known as Baron Cuvier. He died in Paris during an epidemic of cholera.