Facts: - prizes: wollaston -rrb- medal -lrb- 1865 -rrb- royal medal -lrb- 1870 - known for: studies on brachiopoda - influences: leopold von buch - death date: 14 october 1885 - field: palaeontology - birth date: 17 may 1817 - name: thomas davidson - nationality: british - death place: brighton - birth place: edinburgh - alma mater: university of edinburgh Based on these bullet points, write a short biography describing the life of thomas davidson -lrb- palaeontologist -rrb- .
thomas davidson -lrb- 17 may 1817 -- 14 october 1885 -rrb- was a british palaeontologist .