The French naturalist Georges Cuvier, a founding figure of paleontology, correctly identified the large fossil bones found at Maastricht in 1770 as belonging to an extinct marine reptile, which he named Mosasaurus. Cuvier's work was crucial in establishing the reality of extinction, a concept that was not universally accepted at the time. His method of comparative anatomy allowed him to reconstruct the creature from its fragmentary remains, demonstrating his scientific genius.

Cuvier's confirmation that the Mosasaur was an extinct reptile provided undeniable proof that species could disappear, a concept that challenged the prevailing belief in a static and divinely created world. His work had a profound impact on the Romantic imagination, which was deeply engaged with themes of loss, impermanence, and the sublime power of nature. The idea that the Earth's history was marked by periods of destruction and extinction provided a powerful and often disturbing new framework for understanding time and human mortality.