François Doumergue (11 May 1858,

Carcassonne Carcassonne is a French defensive wall, fortified city in the Departments of France, department of Aude, Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania. It is the prefectures in France, prefecture of the department. ...

– 24 December 1938,

Oran, Algeria Oran () is a major coastal city located in the northwest of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria, after the capital, Algiers, because of its population and commercial, industrial and cultural importance. It is w ...

) was a French

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

remembered for his scientific investigations within the department of Oran. From September 1886 onward, he taught classes at the ''Lycée d'Oran''. As a naturalist, he made contributions in the fields of

paleontology Paleontology, also spelled as palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of the life of the past, mainly but not exclusively through the study of fossils. Paleontologists use fossils as a means to classify organisms, measure ge ...

geology Geology (). is a branch of natural science concerned with the Earth and other astronomical objects, the rocks of which they are composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth ...

botany Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

and

zoology Zoology ( , ) is the scientific study of animals. Its studies include the anatomy, structure, embryology, Biological classification, classification, Ethology, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinction, extinct, and ...

. He was a member of the ''Société de géographie et d'archéologie d'Oran'', serving as its president from 1912 to 1920, and then again from 1924 to 1928. Beginning in 1886, with zoologist Paul Maurice Pallary, he conducted paleontological explorations of several cave sites in the vicinity of Oran. In 1892 at the so-called "Abri Alain" (Kouchet El-Djir), the two men uncovered evidence of prehistoric human activity dating back many centuries. Some of the

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...

pieces that were excavated later became part of the

Ahmed Zabana National Museum The Ahmed Zabana National Museum (, ''El-mathaf El-ouatani Ahmed Zabana'') is a museum located in Oran, Algeria, and named after the Algerian national hero Ahmed Zabana who was executed by the French on May 19, 1956, in Algiers. Collections Th ...

in Oran. A herpetological species known as " Doumergue's fringe-fingered lizard" (''Acanthodactylus spinicauda'') is named after him; it was first described by Doumergue in 1901.

Selected works

* ''Contributions à la flore de Montolieu (Aude) et de ses environs'', 1885 – Contributions to the flora of

Montolieu Montolieu (; ) is a commune in the Aude department of southern France. Village of books Sometimes referred to as the " Village of Books", Montolieu contains fifteen bookshops, mostly specializing in secondhand and antique books. Many artists ...

and its neighboring regions. * ''La Grotte du ciel ouvert, à Oran'', 1893. * ''Notes sur quelques plantes intéressantes de la province d'Oran'', 1896 – Notes on some interesting plants in the province of Oran. * ''Essai sur la faune erpétologique de l'Oranie'', 1901 – Essay on the herpetological fauna of Oran. * ''Nouvelles contributions au préhistorique de la province d'Oran'', 1906 – New contributions on the prehistory of the province of Oran. * ''La Grotte préhistorique de la Forêt, à Oran'', 1907. * ''Notice explicative de la carte géologique d'Oran, avec un historique et des observations de M. Doumergue'', 1908 (with E. Ficheur) – Explanatory notes on the geological map of Oran.Google Books
published works

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Doumergue, Francois 1858 births 1938 deaths People from Carcassonne French naturalists French paleontologists French herpetologists 20th-century French botanists French archaeologists 19th-century French botanists People of French Algeria