| Torvosaurus | |
|---|---|
 | |
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Kingdom: |
Animalia |
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Phylum: |
Chordata |
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Class: |
Reptilia |
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Superorder: |
Dinosauria |
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Order: |
Saurischia |
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Suborder: |
Theropoda |
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Family: |
†Megalosauridae |
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Genus: |
†Torvosaurus |
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Species: |
†T. tanneri (type) |
Torvosaurus was a genus, belonging to the family Megalosauridae, that lived during the Kimmeridgian stage of the Late Jurassic. Fossils of this genus are known from North America and Portugal. The name "Torvosaurus" is a combination of the Latin word torvus, meaming "savage," and the Greek word sauros, meaning "lizard."
Description
Size
Torvosaurus was one of the largest theropods of the Jurassic, measuring off at lengths of 9 to 11 meters (30 to 36 ft) and weighing 2 metric tons (2.2 tons). This size by-passes Allosaurus' 8.5 meters (28 feet), making it larger than the theropod popularly considered the largest theropod from the Jurassic. The only other Jurassic theropods that can rival Torvosaurus' size are Saurophagnax and Epanteris (probably just a large Allosaurus)
Discovery
In 1972, James A. Jensen and Kenneth Stadtman discovered this megalosaurid in the Dry Mesa Quarry of Colorado. In 1979, Peter M. Galton and Jensen published a description of the new dinosaur and coined the binomial name "Torvosaurus tanneri."
Paleoecology
T. tanneri lived during the Kimmeridgian stage and was found in the rocks of the Morrison Formation. This means it would have shared its habitat with a variety of dinosaurs, including sauropods such as Apatosaurus, and Diplodocus, as well as ornithopods such as Stegosaurus, Othneilia, and Dryosaurus.
Coexistence with Allosaurus
Another large theropod also inhabited the Morrison formation, Allosaurus. These two theropods were both quite large, although, Torvosaurus is noticeable larger. It is possible, in order to decrease the competition for food, that they lived at different altitudes or else hunted different prey items.