COPE

E.D Cope, for whom Bakker named Drinker in 1990, was one of the most colorful characters in American paleontology. He published well over one thousand scientific papers in his lifetime but is perhaps best remembered for his intense rivalry with fellow paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh in an epic 19th century feud now referred to as "The Bone War."

The conflict was sparked by a rookie error by Cope which resulted in much pointing and laughing from fellow fossil-jock Marsh. Okay, he had discovered and restored a long-necked plesiosaur and attached its head to its tail, but it all became a bit extreme.

Cope's embarrassment was too much for his ego to bear and the two became bitter enemies, publicly criticizing each other's work, hiring spies and saboteurs to ruin each other's excavations, and each rushing to publish their research before the other in a form of machismo driven scientific one-upmanship. Never had paleontology advanced so quickly for such ignoble causes.

Like his nemesis, a glance at Cope's list of "discoveries" and the number that have been chalked off could lead you to assume that many were merely fakes, forgeries or flambuoyent clap-trap and who's to know for sure? From what we can gather Cope would never have stooped so low and the fact remains that without him paleontology would have been a lot worse off.