Charles Depéret was born in Perpignan. He started his career as a military doctor from 1877 to 1888. Initially posted in Algeria, he was later active in Sathonay.[3] In 1888, he became lecturer at Aix-Marseille University,[3] and in 1889 he became professor of geology at the University of Lyon.[2] He died in Lyon.[4]
In 1909 his book Les transformations du monde animal (1907) was translated into English and published with the title "The transformations of the animal world".[14] The following list contains a few of his other noted writings:
Description géologique du bassin tertiaire du Roussillon, 1885 – Description of the tertiary geological basin in Roussillon.
Les animaux pliocènes du Roussillon, 1890 – Pliocene animals of Roussillon.
La faune de mammifères miocènes de la Grive-Saint-Alban (Isère) et de quelques autres localités du bassin du Rhone : documents nouveaux et revision générale, 1892 – On Miocene vertebrates of Grive-Saint-Alban (Isère) and some other localities of the Rhône basin.
Note sur les dinosauriens sauropodes & théropodes du Crétacé supérieur de Madagascar, 1896 – Note on the sauropod and theropod dinosaurs from the Upper Cretaceous of Madagascar.
Monographie des pectinidés néogènes de l'Europe et des régions voisines, 1902 – Monograph on Neogenepectinids of Europe and neighboring regions.
Monographie de la faune de mammifères fossiles du Ludien inférieur d'Euzet-les-Bains (Gard), 1917 – Monograph on fossil mammal fauna of the lower Ludian at Euzet-les-Bains, (Gard).[15]