New dinosaur species discovered in Lourinhã

The presence of the dinosaur species Torvosaurus in Portugal was already documented among the diverse fauna found in Lourinhã. The fossils studied by Christophe Hendrickx and Octávio Mateus were attributed to the species Torvosaurus tanneri but in the course of their study the researchers found significant anatomical differences. The article published in the scientific journal PLOS One describes the anatomical features that justify the naming of this new species - the Torvosaurus gurneyi.

With less than 11 teeth in its jaw and interdental plates different from the T. tanneri species, the now named Torvosaurus gurneyi is the largest predator discovered so far in Europe and the largest terrapod found in Portugal. This species of dinosaur is thought to have lived on earth in the Upper Jurassic period, approximately 150 million years ago.

The study is supported by FCT through the project "Dinoeggs - Dinosaur Eggs and Embryos from Portugal: Paleobiological Implications and Paleoenvironmental Framework", of which Octávio Mateus is the Principal Investigator, and a PhD Studentship for Christoph Hendrickx.