Rivalry Between Cope and Marsh

The Bone Wars were a period of intense rivalry between paleontologists Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh. Their competition led to significant advancements in paleontology but was marred by unethical practices, including bribery, theft, and destruction of fossils. Despite their efforts, many of their discoveries were later invalidated. The feud ultimately damaged their reputations, but it also enriched institutions like the Smithsonian with valuable collections. The rivalry highlighted the impact of personal vendettas on scientific progress.

What was the primary motivation behind the rivalry between Cope and Marsh?

• To discover and catalog new dinosaur species

• To secure government funding

• To gain academic recognition

• To establish a museum

What mistake did Cope make with the Elasmosaurus skeleton?

• He destroyed it with dynamite

• He sold it to Marsh

• He mislabeled it as a mammal

• He placed the skull at the tip of its tail

How did Marsh publicly humiliate Cope?

• By challenging Cope to a public debate

• By publishing a book about Cope's errors

• By writing a letter to The New York Herald

• By stealing Cope's fossils

What term was used for the armed thugs hired by Cope and Marsh?

• Fossil fighters

• Paleontological pirates

• Dinosaur rustlers

• Bone bandits

Who discovered the first dinosaur in America?

• Joseph Leidy

• George Peabody

• Edwin Drinker Cope

• Othniel Charles Marsh

What was Marsh's strategy to take Cope's fossils?

• He bribed Cope's workers

• He challenged Cope to a duel

• He passed a law to claim fossils funded by the government

• He bought Cope's fossil collection

What was the outcome of Cope's publication against Marsh?

• Marsh was promoted

• Marsh was forced to resign

• Cope was discredited

• The publication was ignored

What was Cope's final challenge to Marsh?

• To a race to discover a new species

• To weigh their brains after death

• To a public debate

• To a fossil discovery contest

Which institution benefited from Marsh's self-defeating law?

• The Field Museum

• The American Museum of Natural History

• The Smithsonian

• The British Museum

Who ultimately discovered more species, Cope or Marsh?

• Neither discovered any species

• They discovered an equal number

• Marsh

• Cope