Re: Bloopers in Vert. paleontology

[Phillip Bigelow <n8010095@henson.cc.wwu.edu>]

>One that comes to mind, is a mistake by Cope.  He apparently
>mounted a marine reptile (plesiosaur?) with the head at the
>wrong end of the vertebral column.  This was publically pointed
>out by Marsh.  Some say that their famous rivalry really took
>off after that event.
>Art

 It certainly made things a lot worse, but their friendship was already long
in the dumpster by then.  Marsh had the habit of checking up on Copes work,
finding out who his field collectors were, and then paying them off (higher
wages, you see) to come work for him, instead.  Rather capitalistic of
Marsh, wouldn't you say?  This technique payed-off doubly:  Not only did
Marsh get Cope's good field workers (and occasionally, Copes'
already-wrapped fossils!), but he also got information on Cope's localities.
This technique was started back on the east coast (New Jersey), and was
continued by Marsh when both competitors started collecting out west.
Cope tried the technique on Marsh, too, but it just wasn't quite as good as
"the master".
 
Now, regarding bloopers:  There are quite a few "cold fusions" of
paleontology:  The Apatosaurus with the wrong head is a classic.  The
"booper" part of it wasn't that Apatosaurus got the wrong head (that has
happened before with other fossil verts.), but that after the correct
Apatosaurus head was identified, the Diplodocid? head was not replaced for a
while. (See Louis Psihoyos' book _Hunting Dinosaurs_.  Mark Norell is
photographed <re-enactment?> messing around with the Apatosaurus mount). 

Mantel(sp) put the thumb-claw of Iguanodon on the snout as a nose horn.

The first Megalosaurus femur bone was identified as...ahem...
"The testes of a giant". (something like "Humanum scrotum"...or "Scrotum
humanum".  I'm not kidding.)