French zoologist who was the founder of comparative anatomy and paleontology. He was an expert on fossil bones and one of the most influential proponents of catastrophism. Although Cuvier's theory of catastrophism did not last he based the science of palaeontology on a firm empirical foundation. He introduced fossils into zoological classification showing the progressive relation between rock strata and their fossil remains and by demonstrated in his comparative anatomy and his reconstruction of fossil skeletons the importance of functional and anatomical relationships.
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