biology

René Lavocat

René Lavocat is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand René Lavocat rather than just read about it. In short: René Lavocat (24 August 1909 – 9 August 2007) was a French palaeontologist who described several genera of African dinosaurs including the sauropod Rebbachisaurus, as well as several extinct mammals such as the family Kenyamyidae. The mammal Lavocatia, the notosuchian Lavocatchampsa, the sauropod Lavocatisaurus and the phorusrhacid Lavocatavis are named after him.

Key takeaways

René Lavocat belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect René Lavocat to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of René Lavocat from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

René Lavocat (24 August 1909 – 9 August 2007) was a French palaeontologist who described several genera of African dinosaurs including the sauropod Rebbachisaurus, as well as several extinct mammals such as the family Kenyamyidae. The mammal Lavocatia, the notosuchian Lavocatchampsa, the sauropod Lavocatisaurus and the phorusrhacid Lavocatavis are named after him.

Paleontological discoveries Eager to try palaeontological research in Africa to find Oligocene mammals, Lavocat was strongly endorsed by Camille Arambourg. In 1947, he obtained leadership of a research mission in the Algerian-Moroccan desert. He did not find any Oligocene mammals, but instead came across a rich fauna of Cretaceous vertebrates. His first notes on this subject were made in 1948 entitled les Comptes Rendus Sommaires de la Société géologique de France (English: Report Summary to the Geological Society of France) in which Lavocat explains the discovery of a large number of Cretaceous reptiles (dinosaurs and crocodiles) and fish in the bedrock of the desert. A year later, a second note appeared in the same journal and extends his discoveries to the southwestern Kem Kem. In 1948, Lavocat discovered an incomplete postcranial skeleton of a sauropod dinosaur at the Gara Sbaa locality, an outcrop of the middle Cretaceous-aged Kem Kem Beds, in Errachidia, Morocco. Following two more expeditions to that area, the skeleton was completely collected by 1952. Lavocat described it as belonging to a new genus and species, Rebbachisaurus garasbae, in 1954. In addition, in 1955 he described a new genus of theropod, Majungasaurus. In 1960, Lavocat returned to Africa and described a second species of Rebbachisaurus, R. tamesnensis. In 1973, Lavocat discovered two genera and three species of Miocene rodent, which he placed in the family Kenyamyidae.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with René Lavocat

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what René Lavocat claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to René Lavocat before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about René Lavocat ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of René Lavocat

In research: René Lavocat appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses René Lavocat in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: René Lavocat is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1909 births, 2007 deaths, European biologist stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for René Lavocat outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study René Lavocat in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what René Lavocat means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain René Lavocat out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is René Lavocat in simple terms?

Why does René Lavocat matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study René Lavocat?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on René Lavocat.