[D] Torvosaurus tanneri [sG] [T]
Describer
Galton & Jensen, 1979
Time
Jurassic Late Kimmeridgian Tithonian
Classification
Saurischia Theropoda Tetanurae ?Carnosauria
Diet
Carnivore
Fossilsite
Lourinha Formation, Portugal; Morrison Formation, Colorado, US
Length
10 meter
Info
Genus - Typespecies
Torvosaurus tanneri comprises a humerus,radius and ulna, although more material is referred, including much of the facial skeleton and vetebral column as well as the pelvis, tibia, fibula, tarsus and metatarsus (Jensen, 1985).
Torvosaurus tanneri has characters unexpected in a Late Jurassic theropod. The lacrimal is slender, especially the dorsal ramus, with only a small horn core. The antebrachial elements are relatively short, about half the length of the humerus, and massive in apperance
Distribution and horizon
Torvosaurus tanneri is known from the Morrison Formation of Colorado and the Lourinha Formation in Portugal (Other reports: Dry Mesa Quarry, Britt 1991; lower Upper Brushy Basin Member; also Garden Park and Lily Park), (Cleveland-Lloyd Quarry, Dinosaur National Monument, and the Peterson Quarry), Utah and (Como Bluff) (Middle to Late Tithonian; Siegwarth et al., unpublished). Wyoming
The presence of Torvosaurus in Portugal is the only one report outside North America. Torvosaurus was reported previously by Mateus and Antunes (2000) based on a large tibia from Casal do Bicho (ML430) and now by cranial material from Praia da Vermelha (Lourinhã Formation, Porto Novo Member, Kimmeridgian).
Description
A left maxilla (ML1100; figure 6) was collected by Aart Walen at Praia da Vermelha on July, 27, 2003. More recently, part of a proximal caudal vertebra and part of an unidentified limb bone from the same individual were also recovered.
The maxillary body is robust. The maxilla is almost complete, lacking about 8 cm of the ventroposterior rim. Eight tooth alveolae are present and the presence of two more can be estimated. Interdental plates are fused. The Portuguese specimens can be ascribed to the genus Torvosaurus because the last tooth position is anterior to the orbit, the antorbital foramen is absent, there is no pneumatisation of the maxillary ascending process, the maxillary ascending process is positioned posteriorly, and the tibia is stout. There are some differences between ML1100 (Portugal) and BYU725 (Colorado), the most striking being the maxillary tooth count. The Portuguese specimen had 10 teeth while BYU725 had 11 to 13 maxillary teeth. The alveoli are larger in the Portuguese specimen. Despite the differences, the Portuguese specimen can be ascribed to Torvosaurus tanneri.
The maxilla from Praia da Vermelha is 63 cm long, hence the skull length can be estimated as about 158 cm (T. tanneri BYU 725 has a 118 cm skull for a 47 cm long maxilla, Britt, 1991). This points out to the largest known Jurassic theropod, followed by some specimens of Allosaurus (Saurophaganax) maximus and Edmarka rex. The skull size is similar to some of the largest Tyrannosaurus rex.
The erupted tooth crown is 127 mm long. A distal end of a large femur (ML 632, from Quinta do Gradil) tentatively attributed to Torvosaurus indicates an individual more than 11meters long whose weight may be estimated at 1930 kg (Anderson et al., 1985), similar to the mass estimates for the Morrison Torvosaurus. (Mateus, Walen and Antunes, 2006)
Galton & Jensen, 1979
Time
Jurassic Late Kimmeridgian Tithonian
Classification
Saurischia Theropoda Tetanurae ?Carnosauria
Diet
Carnivore
Fossilsite
Lourinha Formation, Portugal; Morrison Formation, Colorado, US
Length
10 meter
Info
Genus - Typespecies
Torvosaurus tanneri comprises a humerus,radius and ulna, although more material is referred, including much of the facial skeleton and vetebral column as well as the pelvis, tibia, fibula, tarsus and metatarsus (Jensen, 1985).
Torvosaurus tanneri has characters unexpected in a Late Jurassic theropod. The lacrimal is slender, especially the dorsal ramus, with only a small horn core. The antebrachial elements are relatively short, about half the length of the humerus, and massive in apperance
Distribution and horizon
Torvosaurus tanneri is known from the Morrison Formation of Colorado and the Lourinha Formation in Portugal (Other reports: Dry Mesa Quarry, Britt 1991; lower Upper Brushy Basin Member; also Garden Park and Lily Park), (Cleveland-Lloyd Quarry, Dinosaur National Monument, and the Peterson Quarry), Utah and (Como Bluff) (Middle to Late Tithonian; Siegwarth et al., unpublished). Wyoming
The presence of Torvosaurus in Portugal is the only one report outside North America. Torvosaurus was reported previously by Mateus and Antunes (2000) based on a large tibia from Casal do Bicho (ML430) and now by cranial material from Praia da Vermelha (Lourinhã Formation, Porto Novo Member, Kimmeridgian).
Description
A left maxilla (ML1100; figure 6) was collected by Aart Walen at Praia da Vermelha on July, 27, 2003. More recently, part of a proximal caudal vertebra and part of an unidentified limb bone from the same individual were also recovered.
The maxillary body is robust. The maxilla is almost complete, lacking about 8 cm of the ventroposterior rim. Eight tooth alveolae are present and the presence of two more can be estimated. Interdental plates are fused. The Portuguese specimens can be ascribed to the genus Torvosaurus because the last tooth position is anterior to the orbit, the antorbital foramen is absent, there is no pneumatisation of the maxillary ascending process, the maxillary ascending process is positioned posteriorly, and the tibia is stout. There are some differences between ML1100 (Portugal) and BYU725 (Colorado), the most striking being the maxillary tooth count. The Portuguese specimen had 10 teeth while BYU725 had 11 to 13 maxillary teeth. The alveoli are larger in the Portuguese specimen. Despite the differences, the Portuguese specimen can be ascribed to Torvosaurus tanneri.
The maxilla from Praia da Vermelha is 63 cm long, hence the skull length can be estimated as about 158 cm (T. tanneri BYU 725 has a 118 cm skull for a 47 cm long maxilla, Britt, 1991). This points out to the largest known Jurassic theropod, followed by some specimens of Allosaurus (Saurophaganax) maximus and Edmarka rex. The skull size is similar to some of the largest Tyrannosaurus rex.
The erupted tooth crown is 127 mm long. A distal end of a large femur (ML 632, from Quinta do Gradil) tentatively attributed to Torvosaurus indicates an individual more than 11meters long whose weight may be estimated at 1930 kg (Anderson et al., 1985), similar to the mass estimates for the Morrison Torvosaurus. (Mateus, Walen and Antunes, 2006)