Name:
Drinker (after paleontologist Charles Drinker Cope)
Habitat:
Swamps of North Africa
Historical Period:
Late Jurassic (155 to 145 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About six feet long and 25-50 pounds
Diet:
Plants
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Small size; flexible tail; complex tooth structure
About Drinker:
In the late 19th century, Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel C. Marsh were mortal enemies, constantly trying to one-up one another on their paleontological digs. That's why it's ironic that the small, two-legged ornithopod Drinker (named after Cope) may be exactly the same animal as the small, two-legged ornithopod Othnielia (named after Marsh); the differences between these dinosaurs are so minimal that they may one day be collapsed into the same genus.
