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
