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Torvosaurus

Say it: tor-vo-SORE-us

Name means: “savage lizard”1

Ate: MeatMeat-eating dinosMiddle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous

Torvosaurus was one of the biggest meat-eating dinosaurs of the Jurassic Period. It had a huge head, sharp teeth, and short but powerful arms. This dinosaur lived in North America, Europe, and maybe even Africa and South America.2 1

Lived

165 to 143 million years ago3

Middle Jurassic to Early Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, USA; Portugal; Germany; possibly Tanzania, Uruguay, Spain, and England1 3 2

Food

Meat3 2

Length

9 to 10 m1

Torvosaurus tanneri about 9 m, Torvosaurus gurneyi up to 10 m

Weight

2 tonnes to 5 tonnes1

Height

3 to 3.5 m1

hip height for Torvosaurus gurneyi

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

How tall was it?

hip height for Torvosaurus gurneyi

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 3 cars

as long as 2 cars parked in a rowas long as 56 bananas end to endabout as heavy as an elephantas heavy as 1000 watermelonsas tall as 2 doors stacked up

How big was Torvosaurus compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Torvosaurus had very short arms compared to its body, but they were very strong.1

In 2013, scientists found fossilized eggs and embryos of Torvosaurus in Portugal. These are the oldest known dinosaur embryos.1

Torvosaurus lived during the Late Jurassic, about 165 to 146 million years ago.1 2

The first Torvosaurus fossil was a giant thumb claw found in Colorado in 1971.1

Some scientists think that fossils from Tanzania and Uruguay might also belong to Torvosaurus, but others are not sure.1 2

Torvosaurus gurneyi was named after James Gurney, the author of the Dinotopia books.1

AI-made picture of Torvosaurus — An AI-made picture of how Torvosaurus might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Torvosaurus

?How big was Torvosaurus?

Torvosaurus tanneri was about 9 meters (30 feet) long and weighed 2 to 2.4 metric tons. Torvosaurus gurneyi was up to 10 meters (33 feet) long and weighed 4 to 5 metric tons.1 2

?Was Torvosaurus bigger than T. rex?

No, Torvosaurus was smaller than T. rex. T. rex was about 12 meters long and weighed over 8 tons, while Torvosaurus was at most 10 meters long and 5 tons.1

?What did Torvosaurus eat?

Torvosaurus was a carnivore, meaning it ate meat. It likely hunted other dinosaurs and scavenged dead animals.2

?When did Torvosaurus live?

Torvosaurus lived during the Late Jurassic Period, about 165 to 146 million years ago.1 2

?Where was Torvosaurus found?

Torvosaurus fossils have been found in North America (USA), Europe (Portugal, Germany), and possibly Africa (Tanzania) and South America (Uruguay).1 2

?Did Torvosaurus have feathers?

Scientists are not sure. No feathers have been found with Torvosaurus fossils, but some related dinosaurs may have had simple feathers. It is unknown.1

?How fast could Torvosaurus run?

Nobody knows for sure. Based on its size and leg bones, it was probably not very fast, maybe around 20 to 30 km/h (12 to 19 mph), but this is just an estimate.1

?Why did Torvosaurus have short arms?

Torvosaurus had very short but powerful arms. Scientists think they were used for gripping prey or holding food while biting, similar to T. rex.1

Ask Rex about Torvosaurus

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Myth buster

Myth: Some people think Torvosaurus was as big as Tyrannosaurus rex.

Truth: Torvosaurus was big, but not as big as T. rex. It measured about 9 to 10 meters long, while T. rex could be over 12 meters long.1

For dino experts

Scientific name: Torvosaurus
Named by: Galton and Jensen 19793
Group: Meat-eating dinos
Family / clade: Megalosauridae3
Classification: Theropoda3
Age of the rocks: 165 to 143 million years (Callovian / Tithonian)3
Rock formations: Morrison, Lourinhã, Tendaguru3
Countries: USA, Portugal, Tanzania, Uruguay, Germany, China3
Fossil records: 28 in the Paleobiology Database3
Also known as: Edmarka (older names now counted as the same animal)3
Discovery: Torvosaurus was named in 1979 by Peter Galton and James Jensen. The first fossils were found in Colorado, USA, in the 1970s.1 2
Still debated: Scientists are not sure if some fossils from Tanzania, Uruguay, Spain, and England really belong to Torvosaurus or to other dinosaurs.1 2

Where the facts come from

Torvosaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
Torvosaurus | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
Torvosaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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