living and fossil elephants

what did Cuvier discover about elephants and prove

African elephants, Indian elephants and the fossil elephant (mammoth) were 3 distinct species

who was elected the youngest member of the first class

Cuvier

who was Cuvier an understudy to

Mertrud, the elderly and undistinguished professor of animal anatomy

what did Cuvier focus his attention on

National Museum of natural history

where did Cuvier move? why was it risky

Paris, Revolution - many had lost their lives to the guillotine during this time period

person that used the large fossil bones and teeth as a key component of their overarching "theory of the earth"

count de Buffon

how did Cuvier explain his conception of organisms

functionally integrated animal machines

differences in elephants teeth

molars are different forms

what kind of animals did Cuvier produce papers about

poorly understood marine invertebrates, esp. mollusks

issue with Cuvier saying elephants and mammoths were different

the 2 species could have been adapted to different environments

what info did Cuvier leave out when distinguishing the elephants

the osteological differences could be due to transformation (aka evolution)

potential explanation for large animals that no longer have living trees

the previous world that they lived in was destroyed by a catastrophe

why did Cuvier reject his predecessors

their observations were not significantly precise