Cu·vier  (kyōō'vē-ā', kōōv-yā', kü-vyā')  French naturalist who is considered the founder of comparative anatomy and vertebrate paleontology. |
Cuvier (ky 'vē-ā') Pronunciation Key
French anatomist who is considered the founder of comparative anatomy. He originated a system of zoological classification that grouped animals according to the structures of their skeletons and organs. Cuvier extended his system to fossils; his reconstructions of the way extinct animals looked, based on their skeletal remains, greatly advanced the science of paleontology. |