Georges Cuvier ( )

A catastrophist. A racist. An egomaniac who used his reputation to intimidate others. All these descriptions fit Georges Cuvier, but they are only part of the story.

Early Years... born August 23, 1769, at Montbéliard, a French-speaking community. studied at a school which the Duke of Wurttemberg had founded, the Carolinian Academy in Stuttgart, from 1784 to 1788.

took a position as tutor to a noble family in Normandy, which kept him away from French Revolution; named to a position in the local government and began to make his reputation as a naturalist.

Beginning of a Career  Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire- professor of zoology at the Museum of Natural History in Paris - Read some of Cuvier’s Studies - Invited Cuvier to join the museum staff - Cuvier accepted the offer and eventually became a professor of animal anatomy at the museum

Work At The Museum  Cuvier collaborated with Hilaire for a short time until it became clear that they held opposing views concerning origin of and relationships between species.  Cuvier devoted most of his time at the museum to the continued study of comparative anatomy.

extended the classification scheme of Linnaeus by grouping related classes into phyla. (* This was a significant step up from Linnaeus’ system ). saw organisms as integrated wholes, in which each part's form and function were integrated into the entire body, no part could be modified without impairing this functional integration. Cuvier’s work with comparative anatomy led him to reject the organic evolution theories of his time.

Studied mummified cats brought back from Napoleon's invasion of Egypt, and showed that they were no different from their living counterparts. Used this to support his claim that lifeforms did not evolve over time. Photographs courtesy National Museums Liverpool

From Georges Cuvier, Fossil Bones and Geological Catastrophes by Martin J.S. Rudwick Cuvier had the legendary ability to reconstruct organisms from fragmentary fossils, and many of his reconstructions turned out to be strikingly accurate.

This print shows the recovery of the first mosasaur fossils in Cuvier used the fossils to support his radical ideas on extinction.

“The Great American Incognitum”  Fossil bones from Big Bone Lick, KY found in 1790’s.  Some identified it incorrectly as those of a mammoth

Putting the pieces together...  Americans overestimated its size by 6 fold  tusks in eye sockets?  put tusks on upside down like fangs

By 1795, the bones had made it to Paris and delivered to Cuvier. He was the first to identify the animal as an elephant relative. He called it Mastodon, meaning “nipple tooth”.

A 1798 paper by Cuvier contained this drawing showing the differences between the lower jaws of a mammoth (top) and an Indian elephant. These differences supported the idea that mammoths were indeed extinct.

In 1803, T. Jefferson sent Meriwether Lewis into the wilderness of the Louisiana Territory advising the explorer to keep an eye peeled for mammoths. He thought great beasts still might be at large in the unexplored vastness. Lewis and William Clark found no such animals, and Jefferson's quest for a live mammoth came to an end.

Cuvier published results of study after study documenting the past existence of large mammals that resembled no living species: the giant ground sloth, the Irish Elk, and many others. With these studies, Cuvier launched modern vertebrate paleontology. - So, Cuvier is responsible for - the Jurassic Park movies in - a round-about way!

Cuvier’s ideas on evolution… Catastrophism  Cuvier’s work with fossils made him wonder why entire species had become extinct.  He believed that vast changes had occurred at some point in Earth history in the form of sudden land upheavals and floods, which destroyed entire animal species & carved out the present features of the Earth.  Sound Familiar?? – THE GENESIS FLOOD!!!

 Noted that deeper strata of sedimentary rock had diversity of organisms more different from present day life than more recent strata.  His reason: catastrophism. Idealized cross section of the Paris Basin after Cuvier, 1812)

Cuvier & His Contemporaries  There was strong tension between Cuvier & some of his contemporaries such as Lamarck and Hilaire.  Cuvier successfully discredited Lamarck’s evolutionary Theory of the Inheritance of Acquired Characteristics, which said, traits developed by parents are passed on directly to offspring.

Cuvier/Contemporaries(Cont.)  In addition, Cuvier also disagreed with Hilaire’s claim that all animals were “representatives of only one type” (This is the idea of common ancestry)  Cuvier believed that each species was distinct and created for its own special purpose.  He also held that “any similarities between organisms were due to common functions, not common ancestry”

Cuvier/Contemporaries(Cont.)  Cuvier/Hilaire differences culminated in a public debate in 1830  Cuvier won the debate, but his anti- evolutionary thinking never took hold due to the impending shift into Darwinian evolution shortly after.  Cuvier died on May 13, 1832, due to the 1 st ever cholera epidemic to hit Paris.

Ironic Conclusions - Cuvier pointed out the key issue of “why were animals anatomically different?” - His study of fossils led to the extensive study of the fossil record in search of transitional forms and examination of the different stratification layers. - His establishment of the existence of extinction led to the theory of Natural Selection, which says, entire species would die off due to a particular weakness or deficiency. - And as we know, Natural Selection is the benchmark of Darwinian Evolution