Post by thesporerex on Mar 20, 2014 3:14:46 GMT
Torvosaurus gurneyi
Scientific classification
Temporal range: Late Jurassic, 153–148Ma
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Theropoda
Family: †Megalosauridae
Subfamily: †Megalosaurinae
Genus: †Torvosaurus
Species: †Torvosaurus gurneyi
5 March 2014; Last updated at 22:03
Scientists in Portugal have identified what they think may have been the largest predator ever to roam across the European landmass.
Fossil bones from the dinosaur were pulled from a cliff at Praia da Vermelha just north of Lisbon.
Known as Torvosaurus gurneyi, this ferocious beast would have been some 10m in length and weighed perhaps 4-5 tonnes.
Its features are described in the latest edition of the Plos One journal.
It was a theropod - the kind of two-legged, meat-eating animal that everyone instantly recognises in something like Tyrannosaurus rex.
But T. gurneyi lived much earlier in time, in the late Jurassic - about 150 million years ago.
"We all know about T. rex, but Tyrannosaurus was a Cretaceous animal," explains co-author Prof Octavio Mateus from the New University of Lisbon.
"Our dinosaur was Jurassic. The difference in age is striking - it's 80 million years. So, when T. rex walked on Earth, Torvosaurus was already a fossil," he told BBC News.
Scientists have now unearthed a number of body parts belonging to Torvosaurus from Portugal's fossil-rich Lourinha rock formation. These specimens even include eggs and embryos.
But it is with this latest description of the dinosaur's upper-jaw that the researchers believe they can put the creature in its proper context.
They say the Portuguese animal is distinct from the Torvosaurus already known from North America.
That fossil "cousin", known as Torvosaurus tanneri, was found in rocks of similar age, from the so-called Morrison formation.
It means that both animals must have shared a common ancestor deeper in time, before the Atlantic Ocean was fully opened.
"One hundred and fifty million years ago, Portugal was already separated from North America and this meant the mechanism of speciation could occur," said lead author Christophe Hendrickx. "And this is why we have a new species of Torvosaurus in Europe."
One of the most impressive features of the Plos One T. gurneyi find is its teeth - blade-shaped and more than 10cm long.
This indicates it must have been at the top of the food chain when it stomped around the Iberian Peninsula.
"Besides dinosaurs, we had turtles, crocodiles, pterosaurs, and also small mammals," Mr Hendrickx told BBC News.
"And for the flora - it must have been quite luxuriant. A lot of conifers and gingkos. It would have looked something like a tropical environment."
Prof Mateus added: "This was an area with a lot of rivers, a lot of fresh water; and a lot of vegetation. So, it would have been good for herbivores, and with herbivores come some carnivores like Torvosaurus."
Although a record-breaker for terrestrial Europe, Torvosaurus is not the largest predatory dinosaur known to science.
Carcharodontosaurus, Giganotosaurus and Tyrannosaurus from other parts of the world, and from the later Cretaceous Period, were all bigger land animals.
And of course there were marine predators in the Jurassic, such as plesiosaurs, that would have rivalled it for size.
The largest known herbivore in Europe was probably a sauropod from Spain whose bones suggest it weighed in excess of 40 tonnes.
The maxilla has enabled the scientists to put the species in context.
Torvosaurus gurneyi n. sp., the Largest Terrestrial Predator from Europe, and a Proposed Terminology of the Maxilla Anatomy in Nonavian Theropods
Christophe Hendrickx, Octávio Mateus
Published: March 05, 2014DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0088905
Abstract
"The Lourinhã Formation (Kimmeridgian-Tithonian) of Central West Portugal is well known for its diversified dinosaur fauna similar to that of the Morrison Formation of North America; both areas share dinosaur taxa including the top predator Torvosaurus, reported in Portugal. The material assigned to the Portuguese T. tanneri, consisting of a right maxilla and an incomplete caudal centrum, was briefly described in the literature and a thorough description of these bones is here given for the first time. A comparison with material referred to Torvosaurus tanneri allows us to highlight some important differences justifying the creation of a distinct Eastern species. Torvosaurus gurneyi n. sp. displays two autapomorphies among Megalosauroidea, a maxilla possessing fewer than eleven teeth and an interdental wall nearly coincidental with the lateral wall of the maxillary body. In addition, it differs from T. tanneri by a reduced number of maxillary teeth, the absence of interdental plates terminating ventrally by broad V-shaped points and falling short relative to the lateral maxillary wall, and the absence of a protuberant ridge on the anterior part of the medial shelf, posterior to the anteromedial process. T. gurneyi is the largest theropod from the Lourinhã Formation of Portugal and the largest land predator discovered in Europe hitherto. This taxon supports the mechanism of vicariance that occurred in the Iberian Meseta during the Late Jurassic when the proto-Atlantic was already well formed. A fragment of maxilla from the Lourinhã Formation referred to Torvosaurus sp. is ascribed to this new species, and several other bones, including a femur, a tibia and embryonic material all from the Kimmeridgian-Tithonian of Portugal, are tentatively assigned to T. gurneyi. A standard terminology and notation of the theropod maxilla is also proposed and a record of the Torvosaurus material from Portugal is given."
Reconstruction of Torvosaurus gurneyi in lateral view.
Incomplete left maxilla of the holotype specimen of Torvosaurus gurneyi (ML 1100) in A, lateral; B, medial; C, ventral; D, dorsal; E, anterior; F, posterior views with details of G, Anterodorsal margin of jugal ramus in dorsomedial view; and H, Posterior part of jugal ramus in dorsal view. I–J, Anterior part of interdental wall of I, T. gurneyi; and J, T. tanneri (BYUVP 9122) in medial view. K–L, Anteromedial process of K, T. gurneyi; and L, T. tanneri (BYUVP 9122) in medial views. Scale bars = 10 cm (A–H), 5 cm (G–L).
Interpretive line drawing of the left maxilla of the holotype specimen of Torvosaurus gurneyi (ML 1100) in A, lateral; B, medial; C, ventral; D, dorsal; E, anterior; F, posterior views with details of G, anterodorsal margin of jugal ramus in dorsomedial view; and H, posterior part of jugal ramus in dorsal view. I–J, Interpretive line drawing of the anterior part of interdental wall of I, T. gurneyi; and J, T. tanneri (BYUVP 9122) in medial view. K–L, Interpretive line drawing of the anteromedial process of K, T. gurneyi; and L, T. tanneri (BYUVP 9122) in medial views. Hatched areas represents missing parts, light grey tone indicates reconstructed part, and dark grey tone corresponds to the pneumatopores, foramina, and alveoli, with alveoli 9 and 10 being reconstructed. Abbreviations: adc, anterodorsal crest; adr, anterodorsal ridge of the anteromedial process; afo, anterior foramina; al, alveolus; amg, anteromedial groove of the anteromedial process; amp, anteromedial process; amr, anteromedial ridge; anr, anterior ramus; aor, antorbital ridge; asr, ascending ramus; avg, anteroventral groove of the anteromedial process; avr, anteroventral ridge on the anteromedial process; dmg, dorsomedial groove; idw, interdental wall; juc, jugal contact; lac, lacrimal contact; laof, lateral antorbital fossa; law, lateral wall; maf, maxillary alveolar foramina; mcf, maxillary circumfenestra foramina; mes, medial shelf; mew, medial wall; mfo, maxillary fossa; mx, maxillary teeth; nac, nasal contact; nuf, nutrient foramina; nug, nutrient groove; nvo, neurovascular opening; pmc, premaxillary contact; snf, subnarial foramen. Scale bars = 10 cm (A–H), 5 cm (G–L).
A, C, E–H, Second maxillary tooth; and B, D, third non-erupted maxillary tooth of the holotype specimen of Torvosaurus gurneyi in A–B, labial; C–D, lingual; E, mesial; F, distal; G, basal; and H, apical views. I–J, Distal; and K–M, mesial denticles of the second maxillary tooth in lateral view. M, Distal serrations showing the interdenticular sulci; and N, enamel texture of the third non-erupted tooth in labial view. Abbreviations: cd, cervix dentis; dca, distal carina; del, dentine layer; ent, enamel texture; ids, interdenticular sulci; idsp, interdenticular space; mca, mesial carina; lic, lingual concavity for the erupting tooth; puc, pulp cavity; ro, root; uet, unerupted tooth; und, transversal undulation. Scale bars = 5 cm (A–F), 3 cm (G–H), 3 mm (I, K, M–N), 1 mm (J, L).
A–D, Posterior part of an anterior caudal centrum of the holotype specimen of Torvosaurus gurneyi (ML 1100) in A, anterior; B, posterior; C, right lateral; D, left lateral; E, dorsal; and F, ventral views. Abbreviations: nc, neural canal; st, striation. Scale bar = 5 cm.
Strict consensus cladogram from 71 most parsimonious trees after pruning Magnosaurus, Poekilopleuron, Streptospondylus and Xuanhanosaurus from the full set of most parsimonious trees. Initial analysis used New Technology Search using TNT v.1.1 of a data matrix comprising 353 characters for two outgroup (Eoraptor and Herrerasaurus) and 60 nonavian theropod taxa. Tree length = 1022 steps; CI = 0.414, RI = 0.685. Bremer support values are in regular and bootstrap values are in bold. Dinosaur silhouettes by Scott Hartman (all but Metriacanthosauridae; used with permission) and Gregory S. Paul (Metriacanthosauridae; used with permission).
Left maxillae of the holotype specimen of Torvosaurus gurneyi (ML 1100) in A, lateral; B, medial; E, ventral; F, dorsal; I, anterior; and K, posterior views. Left maxillae of a specimen referred to Torvosaurus tanneri (BYUVP 9122) in C, lateral; D, medial; G, ventral; H, dorsal; J, anterior; and L, posterior views. Abbreviations: adc, anterodorsal crest; adr, anterodorsal ridge of the anteromedial process; afo, anterior foramina; al1, first alveolus; al8, eighth alveolus; al10, tenth alveolus; amp, anteromedial process; aor, antorbital ridge; avg, anteroventral groove of the anteromedial process; avr, anteroventral ridge on the anteromedial process; idw, interdental wall; ldr, laterodorsal ridge within the anterior corner of the lateral antorbital fossa; mfo, maxillary fossa; nuf, nutrient foramina; nug, nutrient groove; nvo, neurovascular opening. Scale bars = 5 cm.
www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0088905
Scientific classification
Temporal range: Late Jurassic, 153–148Ma
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Theropoda
Family: †Megalosauridae
Subfamily: †Megalosaurinae
Genus: †Torvosaurus
Species: †Torvosaurus gurneyi
5 March 2014; Last updated at 22:03
Scientists in Portugal have identified what they think may have been the largest predator ever to roam across the European landmass.
Fossil bones from the dinosaur were pulled from a cliff at Praia da Vermelha just north of Lisbon.
Known as Torvosaurus gurneyi, this ferocious beast would have been some 10m in length and weighed perhaps 4-5 tonnes.
Its features are described in the latest edition of the Plos One journal.
It was a theropod - the kind of two-legged, meat-eating animal that everyone instantly recognises in something like Tyrannosaurus rex.
But T. gurneyi lived much earlier in time, in the late Jurassic - about 150 million years ago.
"We all know about T. rex, but Tyrannosaurus was a Cretaceous animal," explains co-author Prof Octavio Mateus from the New University of Lisbon.
"Our dinosaur was Jurassic. The difference in age is striking - it's 80 million years. So, when T. rex walked on Earth, Torvosaurus was already a fossil," he told BBC News.
Scientists have now unearthed a number of body parts belonging to Torvosaurus from Portugal's fossil-rich Lourinha rock formation. These specimens even include eggs and embryos.
But it is with this latest description of the dinosaur's upper-jaw that the researchers believe they can put the creature in its proper context.
They say the Portuguese animal is distinct from the Torvosaurus already known from North America.
That fossil "cousin", known as Torvosaurus tanneri, was found in rocks of similar age, from the so-called Morrison formation.
It means that both animals must have shared a common ancestor deeper in time, before the Atlantic Ocean was fully opened.
"One hundred and fifty million years ago, Portugal was already separated from North America and this meant the mechanism of speciation could occur," said lead author Christophe Hendrickx. "And this is why we have a new species of Torvosaurus in Europe."
One of the most impressive features of the Plos One T. gurneyi find is its teeth - blade-shaped and more than 10cm long.
This indicates it must have been at the top of the food chain when it stomped around the Iberian Peninsula.
"Besides dinosaurs, we had turtles, crocodiles, pterosaurs, and also small mammals," Mr Hendrickx told BBC News.
"And for the flora - it must have been quite luxuriant. A lot of conifers and gingkos. It would have looked something like a tropical environment."
Prof Mateus added: "This was an area with a lot of rivers, a lot of fresh water; and a lot of vegetation. So, it would have been good for herbivores, and with herbivores come some carnivores like Torvosaurus."
Although a record-breaker for terrestrial Europe, Torvosaurus is not the largest predatory dinosaur known to science.
Carcharodontosaurus, Giganotosaurus and Tyrannosaurus from other parts of the world, and from the later Cretaceous Period, were all bigger land animals.
And of course there were marine predators in the Jurassic, such as plesiosaurs, that would have rivalled it for size.
The largest known herbivore in Europe was probably a sauropod from Spain whose bones suggest it weighed in excess of 40 tonnes.
The maxilla has enabled the scientists to put the species in context.
Torvosaurus gurneyi n. sp., the Largest Terrestrial Predator from Europe, and a Proposed Terminology of the Maxilla Anatomy in Nonavian Theropods
Christophe Hendrickx, Octávio Mateus
Published: March 05, 2014DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0088905
Abstract
"The Lourinhã Formation (Kimmeridgian-Tithonian) of Central West Portugal is well known for its diversified dinosaur fauna similar to that of the Morrison Formation of North America; both areas share dinosaur taxa including the top predator Torvosaurus, reported in Portugal. The material assigned to the Portuguese T. tanneri, consisting of a right maxilla and an incomplete caudal centrum, was briefly described in the literature and a thorough description of these bones is here given for the first time. A comparison with material referred to Torvosaurus tanneri allows us to highlight some important differences justifying the creation of a distinct Eastern species. Torvosaurus gurneyi n. sp. displays two autapomorphies among Megalosauroidea, a maxilla possessing fewer than eleven teeth and an interdental wall nearly coincidental with the lateral wall of the maxillary body. In addition, it differs from T. tanneri by a reduced number of maxillary teeth, the absence of interdental plates terminating ventrally by broad V-shaped points and falling short relative to the lateral maxillary wall, and the absence of a protuberant ridge on the anterior part of the medial shelf, posterior to the anteromedial process. T. gurneyi is the largest theropod from the Lourinhã Formation of Portugal and the largest land predator discovered in Europe hitherto. This taxon supports the mechanism of vicariance that occurred in the Iberian Meseta during the Late Jurassic when the proto-Atlantic was already well formed. A fragment of maxilla from the Lourinhã Formation referred to Torvosaurus sp. is ascribed to this new species, and several other bones, including a femur, a tibia and embryonic material all from the Kimmeridgian-Tithonian of Portugal, are tentatively assigned to T. gurneyi. A standard terminology and notation of the theropod maxilla is also proposed and a record of the Torvosaurus material from Portugal is given."
Reconstruction of Torvosaurus gurneyi in lateral view.
Incomplete left maxilla of the holotype specimen of Torvosaurus gurneyi (ML 1100) in A, lateral; B, medial; C, ventral; D, dorsal; E, anterior; F, posterior views with details of G, Anterodorsal margin of jugal ramus in dorsomedial view; and H, Posterior part of jugal ramus in dorsal view. I–J, Anterior part of interdental wall of I, T. gurneyi; and J, T. tanneri (BYUVP 9122) in medial view. K–L, Anteromedial process of K, T. gurneyi; and L, T. tanneri (BYUVP 9122) in medial views. Scale bars = 10 cm (A–H), 5 cm (G–L).
Interpretive line drawing of the left maxilla of the holotype specimen of Torvosaurus gurneyi (ML 1100) in A, lateral; B, medial; C, ventral; D, dorsal; E, anterior; F, posterior views with details of G, anterodorsal margin of jugal ramus in dorsomedial view; and H, posterior part of jugal ramus in dorsal view. I–J, Interpretive line drawing of the anterior part of interdental wall of I, T. gurneyi; and J, T. tanneri (BYUVP 9122) in medial view. K–L, Interpretive line drawing of the anteromedial process of K, T. gurneyi; and L, T. tanneri (BYUVP 9122) in medial views. Hatched areas represents missing parts, light grey tone indicates reconstructed part, and dark grey tone corresponds to the pneumatopores, foramina, and alveoli, with alveoli 9 and 10 being reconstructed. Abbreviations: adc, anterodorsal crest; adr, anterodorsal ridge of the anteromedial process; afo, anterior foramina; al, alveolus; amg, anteromedial groove of the anteromedial process; amp, anteromedial process; amr, anteromedial ridge; anr, anterior ramus; aor, antorbital ridge; asr, ascending ramus; avg, anteroventral groove of the anteromedial process; avr, anteroventral ridge on the anteromedial process; dmg, dorsomedial groove; idw, interdental wall; juc, jugal contact; lac, lacrimal contact; laof, lateral antorbital fossa; law, lateral wall; maf, maxillary alveolar foramina; mcf, maxillary circumfenestra foramina; mes, medial shelf; mew, medial wall; mfo, maxillary fossa; mx, maxillary teeth; nac, nasal contact; nuf, nutrient foramina; nug, nutrient groove; nvo, neurovascular opening; pmc, premaxillary contact; snf, subnarial foramen. Scale bars = 10 cm (A–H), 5 cm (G–L).
A, C, E–H, Second maxillary tooth; and B, D, third non-erupted maxillary tooth of the holotype specimen of Torvosaurus gurneyi in A–B, labial; C–D, lingual; E, mesial; F, distal; G, basal; and H, apical views. I–J, Distal; and K–M, mesial denticles of the second maxillary tooth in lateral view. M, Distal serrations showing the interdenticular sulci; and N, enamel texture of the third non-erupted tooth in labial view. Abbreviations: cd, cervix dentis; dca, distal carina; del, dentine layer; ent, enamel texture; ids, interdenticular sulci; idsp, interdenticular space; mca, mesial carina; lic, lingual concavity for the erupting tooth; puc, pulp cavity; ro, root; uet, unerupted tooth; und, transversal undulation. Scale bars = 5 cm (A–F), 3 cm (G–H), 3 mm (I, K, M–N), 1 mm (J, L).
A–D, Posterior part of an anterior caudal centrum of the holotype specimen of Torvosaurus gurneyi (ML 1100) in A, anterior; B, posterior; C, right lateral; D, left lateral; E, dorsal; and F, ventral views. Abbreviations: nc, neural canal; st, striation. Scale bar = 5 cm.
Strict consensus cladogram from 71 most parsimonious trees after pruning Magnosaurus, Poekilopleuron, Streptospondylus and Xuanhanosaurus from the full set of most parsimonious trees. Initial analysis used New Technology Search using TNT v.1.1 of a data matrix comprising 353 characters for two outgroup (Eoraptor and Herrerasaurus) and 60 nonavian theropod taxa. Tree length = 1022 steps; CI = 0.414, RI = 0.685. Bremer support values are in regular and bootstrap values are in bold. Dinosaur silhouettes by Scott Hartman (all but Metriacanthosauridae; used with permission) and Gregory S. Paul (Metriacanthosauridae; used with permission).
Left maxillae of the holotype specimen of Torvosaurus gurneyi (ML 1100) in A, lateral; B, medial; E, ventral; F, dorsal; I, anterior; and K, posterior views. Left maxillae of a specimen referred to Torvosaurus tanneri (BYUVP 9122) in C, lateral; D, medial; G, ventral; H, dorsal; J, anterior; and L, posterior views. Abbreviations: adc, anterodorsal crest; adr, anterodorsal ridge of the anteromedial process; afo, anterior foramina; al1, first alveolus; al8, eighth alveolus; al10, tenth alveolus; amp, anteromedial process; aor, antorbital ridge; avg, anteroventral groove of the anteromedial process; avr, anteroventral ridge on the anteromedial process; idw, interdental wall; ldr, laterodorsal ridge within the anterior corner of the lateral antorbital fossa; mfo, maxillary fossa; nuf, nutrient foramina; nug, nutrient groove; nvo, neurovascular opening. Scale bars = 5 cm.
www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0088905