Frédéric Cuvier

Frédéric Georges Cuvier ( born June 28, 1773 in Montbéliard, † July 24, 1838 in Strasbourg ) was a French zoologist and paleontologist. Its official botanical author abbreviation is " F.Cuvier ".

Life and work

Frédéric Cuvier was the youngest son of Jean -Georges Cuvier (1715-1795), a former lieutenant of a Swiss regiment, and his wife Anne- Catherine Clémence Chatel ( 1736-1792 ). His older brother was the naturalist Georges Cuvier. After Cuvier had shown little interest in school, he graduated in Montbeliard apprenticeship as a watchmaker. At the invitation of his brother following, he moved to Paris in 1797. There Cuvier discovered the science for themselves and explored, among others, Jean -Baptiste Biot discovered by Alessandro Volta Galvanic cell.

Cuvier 1804 was head of the zoological department of the National Museum of Natural History ( Muséum National d' Histoire Naturelle ) in Paris. In 1810 he was inspector of the Paris Academy of Sciences, 1826 whose member. From 1816 Cuvier was editor of the Dictionnaire des sciences naturelles. In 1831 he was Inspector-General of Universities, 1837 at the National Museum was created for him a chair of comparative physiology, and 1838 Cuvier eventually became director of the museum.

In 1820, Cuvier was elected member of the Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. On June 4, 1835, he was admitted as a member of the Royal Society.

His scientific interest was in the animal behavior and animal intelligence.

Honors

The Cuviergazelle ( Gazella cuvieri ) was named in his honor.

Writings (selection )

• Histoire naturelle of mammifères avec des figures original coloriées, dessinées d'après les animaux vivants. 1819-1842 ( with Étienne Geoffroy Saint- Hilaire )
• Dents of the mammifères, considerées comme caractères zoologiques. F. G. Levrault, Strasbourg 1825 (online).
• De l' Histoire naturelle of Cétacés. Roret, Paris 1836 (online).