1804 in paleontology explained

Mammals

• Georges Cuvier describes fossil from the Paris Basin. He determines that two particular taxa based on their fossils were similar to modern mammals such as tapirs, camels, or ruminants but otherwise were not close analogues. He names the perissodactyl Palaeotherium ("old beast") and the artiodactyl Anoplotherium ("unarmed beast").^{[1] [2]}

Newly named mammals

Taxon	Novelty	Status	Author(s)	Age	Unit	Location	Notes	Images
Palaeotherium	Gen. nov.	Valid	Georges Cuvier	Late Eocene	Paris Basin	France	Genus of equoid of the Palaeotheriidae, previously considered to be closely related to and resembling tapirs.
Anoplotherium	Gen. nov.	Valid	Georges Cuvier	Late Eocene	Paris Basin	France	Genus of artiodactyl belonging to the Anoplotheriidae, endemic to western Europe.

Notes and References

1. Book: Belhoste, Bruno. Chemla. Karine. Keller. Evelyn Fox. 2017. Cultures without Culturalism: The Making of Scientific Knowledge. Chapter 10: From Quarry to Paper. Cuvier’s Three Epistemological Cultures. Duke University Press. 250–277.
2. Book: Wallace, David Rains. 2004. Beasts of Eden: Walking Whales, Dawn Horses, and Other Enigmas of Mammal Evolution. Chapter 1: Pachyderms in the Catacombs. University of California Press. 1–13.