 At the same time , tension began to build between Mantell and Richard Owen , an ambitious scientist with much better funding and society connections in the turbulent worlds of Reform Act – era British politics and science . Owen , a firm creationist , opposed the early versions of evolutionary science ( " transmutationism " ) then being debated and used what he would soon coin as dinosaurs as a weapon in this conflict . With the paper describing Dinosauria , he scaled down dinosaurs from lengths of over 61 metres ( 200 feet ) , determined that they were not simply giant lizards , and put forward that they were advanced and mammal @-@ like , characteristics given to them by God ; according to the understanding of the time , they could not have been " transmuted " from reptiles to mammal @-@ like creatures . 
 At the same time , tension began to build between Mantell and Richard Owen , an ambitious scientist with much better funding and society connections in the turbulent worlds of Reform Act – era British politics and science . Owen , a firm creationist , opposed the early versions of evolutionary science ( " transmutationism " ) then being debated and used what he would soon coin as dinosaurs as a weapon in this conflict . With the paper describing Dinosauria , he scaled down dinosaurs from lengths of over 61 metres ( 200 feet ) , determined that they <a href='negative_concord' title='1'><mark>were</mark></a> <a href='negative_concord' title='2'><mark>not</mark></a>simply giant lizards , and put forward that they <a href='uninflect' title='3'><mark>were</mark></a> advanced and mammal @-@ like , characteristics given to them by God ; according to the understanding of the time , they could not <a href='been_done' title='4'><mark>have</mark></a> been " transmuted " from <a href='negative_concord' title='5'><mark>reptiles</mark></a> to mammal @-@ like creatures . 
At da same time , tension began to build between Mantell and Richard Owen , an ambitious scientist with much betta funding and society connections in the turbulent worlds of Reform Act – era British politics and science . Owen , a firm creationist , opposed the early versions of evolutionary science ( " transmutationism " ) then being debated and used what he would soon coin as dinosaurs as a weapon in this conflict . w/ the paper describing Dinosauria , he scaled downn dinosaurs from lengths of ova 61 metres ( 200 feet ) , determined that they ain't simply giant lizards , and put forward dat they was advanced and mammal @-@ like , characteristics given to em by God ; according to tdaunderstanding of the time , they could not done been " transmuted " from no reptiles to mammal @-@ like creatures .