Look up · dinosaur 1269 of 1,425
sharp-clawed runner
Torvosaurus
Say it like this: “TOR-vo-SAWR-us”
Torvosaurus tanneri
Torvosaurus ate meat and walked on two legs. It lived in the Late Jurassic. Bones have been found in the United States and Portugal.
- When
- Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian · Tithonian) · roughly 154.8 to 143.1 million years ago
- Named in
- 1979 · Galton, P. M.; Jensen, J. A.
- Hip height
- Not established
- Length
- 9–10 m · 30–33 ft
- Weight
- 2–5 tonnes
- Found in
- the United States and Portugal · Morrison
- Food and walking
- Carnivore · Two legs
- Kind
- sharp-clawed runner · Theropod
- Family branch
- Megalosaurinae
The story in short
The genus Torvosaurus dates to 1979, the year P. M. Galton and J. A. Jensen described it. The name means “savage lizard.”
It lived in the Late Jurassic (Kimmeridgian · Tithonian), roughly 154.8 to 143.1 million years ago. Finds come from the United States and Portugal, including the Morrison Formation. It was a carnivore and walked on two legs.
Published estimates put Torvosaurus at a length near 9–10 m and a body mass around 2–5 tonnes.
On the family tree it sits in Megalosaurinae, among the theropod dinosaurs.
This entry is the whole genus. The type species is Torvosaurus tanneri. Other named species include Torvosaurus gurneyi.
Other species with this name
- Torvosaurus tanneri
- Torvosaurus gurneyi
Close relatives
Duriavenator
Duriavenator hesperis
Middle Jurassic (Bajocian) · roughly 170.9 to 168.2 million years ago
Megalosaurus
Megalosaurus bucklandii
Middle Jurassic (Bathonian) · roughly 168.2 to 165.3 million years ago
Wiehenvenator
Wiehenvenator albati
Middle Jurassic (Callovian) · roughly 165.3 to 161.5 million years ago