Jean Léopold Nicolas Frédéric, Baron Cuvier, known as Georges Cuvier, was a French naturalist and zoologist, sometimes referred to as the "founding father of paleontology". Cuvier was a major figure in natural sciences research in the early 19th century and was instrumental in establishing the fields of comparative anatomy and paleontology through his work in comparing living animals with fossils.
Portrait by François-André Vincent, 1795
Birthplace of Georges Cuvier in Montbéliard
Cuvier's tomb in the Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris
Cuvier with a fish fossil
Zoology is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the structure, embryology, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. Zoology is one of the primary branches of biology. The term is derived from Ancient Greek ζῷον, zōion ('animal'), and λόγος, logos.
Conrad Gessner (1516–1565). His Historiae animalium is considered the beginning of modern zoology.
Animal anatomical engraving from Handbuch der Anatomie der Tiere für Künstler.
Kelp gull chicks peck at red spot on mother's beak to stimulate the regurgitating reflex.