New Species of Huge Carnivorous Dinosaur Found in Portugal

A team of researchers has discovered what may be the largest carnivorous dinosaur from the Jurassic period that roamed Europe.

 Researchers from Universidade Nova de Lisboa and Museu da Lourinha, discovered the fossilized remains of a new dinosaur species called Torvosaurus gurneyi, near Lisbon, Portugal.

Early observations of the bones led the researchers to believe that the fossil belonged to a North America dinosaur 'Torvosaurus tanneri'. But further investigation of the shin bone, upper jawbone, teeth and partial tail vertebrae led the researchers to classify it as a new species.

Based on the size of the fossilized bones, the researchers estimate that the large carnivorous dinosaur was 10 meters long and weighed nearly 4 to 5 tons. The 10 cm long blade shaped teeth indicate that some 150 million years ago the huge carnivorous was at the top of the food chain in the Iberian Peninsula.

Subtle differences noticed between the American Tanneri and the European Tanneri confirmed that the two didn't belong to the same species. The fossil of T.Tanneri has 11 or more teeth while that of T.gurneyi has less than 11 teeth. Also the bones in the mouth have a different shape and structure. This newly discovered blade-teethed dinosaur species is the second species of Torvosaurus to be named.

"This is not the largest predatory dinosaur we know. Tyrannosaurus, Carcharodontosaurus, and Giganotosaurus from the Cretaceous were bigger animals," co-author Christophe Hendrickx said. "With a skull of 115 cm, Torvosaurus gurneyi was however one of the largest terrestrial carnivores at this epoch, and an active predator that hunted other large dinosaurs, as evidenced by blade shape teeth up to 10 cm."

The researchers assume that this large predator was already layered with proto-feathers.

The finding was documented in the journal PLOS One.