What was the Bone Wars?
Q: What was the Bone Wars?
A: The Bone Wars was a period of fossil finding and discovery in the U.S.A during the late 19th century, characterized by a heated rivalry between Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh. They used bribery, theft, and destruction of bones as they sought to discredit each other's work and ruin their credibility.
Q: Where did most of the action take place?
A: Most of the action took place in Colorado, Nebraska, and Wyoming.
Q: Who were Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh?
A: Edward Drinker Cope was from the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, while Othniel Charles Marsh was from the Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale. Both paleontologists used their wealth and influence to fund their own expeditions for dinosaur bones from fossil hunters.
Q: How many species of dinosaurs were discovered during this time?
A: 142 new species of dinosaurs were discovered during this time, though today only 32 are valid names.
Q: What effect did it have on public interest in dinosaurs?
A: The products of the Bone Wars increased our knowledge of prehistoric life, sparking public interest in dinosaurs which led to more fossil excavation in North America in subsequent decades.
Q: What is the Morrison Formation?
A: The Morrison Formation is one of several famous fossil sites discovered by Cope and Marsh during this period located at Como Bluff, Wyoming that extends into 13 states which is still being searched wherever it outcrops onto the surface.
