Lacépède, Bernard Germain Étienne de la Ville, comte de

Lacépède, Bernard Germain Étienne de la Ville, comte de

(bĕrnär` zhĕrmăN` ātyĕn` də lä vēl kôNt də läsāpĕd`), 1756–1825, French naturalist. As a youth he showed considerable talent in both music and physics and won the favor of BuffonBuffon, Georges Louis Leclerc, comte de
, 1707–88, French naturalist and author. From 1739 he was keeper of the Jardin du Roi (later the Jardin des Plantes) in Paris and made it a center of research during the Enlightenment.
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, whose work in animal classification he was encouraged to continue. Buffon secured him a position at the Jardin du Roi (later the Jardin des Plantes). His best-known works deal with the oviparous quadrupeds, reptiles, fishes, and whales; they are frequently printed with Buffon's works, which they supplement. Lacépède was active in politics and was exiled during the Reign of Terror. After his return he gave up scientific work for a political career and held several state offices.