The family moved to La Rochelle in 1820, where his interest in natural history was developed while studying the marine fauna and especially the microscopic creatures that he named "foraminiferans".
Keluarganya berpindah ke La Rochelle pada 1820, ketika ia mempelajari sejarah alam yang dikembangkan ketika mempelajari faunan kelautan dan khususnya makhluk-makhluk mikroskopik yang ia namai "foraminifera".