Editing Torvosaurus (section)

== Description ==
[[File:Torvosaurus tanneri Reconstruction.png|left|thumb|Restoration of ''T. tanneri'']]
''Torvosaurus'' was a very large and robust predatory dinosaur. ''T. tanneri'' was initially described as {{convert|10|m|ft}} long,<ref name="galt79"/> but a detailed osteological description has revised its length estimate to {{convert|9|m|ft}}.<ref name="Britt1991"/> ''T. gurneyi'' was initially estimated around {{convert|11|m|ft}} long,<ref name=OMetal06/> but its body length estimate was revised to {{convert|10|m|ft}} in its specific description.<ref name=gurneyi/> Claims have been made indicating even larger sizes for the American species ''T. tanneri'', with estimates of up to {{cvt|12|m|ft}} in length and more than {{cvt|4|MT|ST}} based on incomplete remains of ''Edmarka rex'' and "Brontoraptor".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/dinoappendix/HoltzappendixWinter2011.pdf|title=Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-to-date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages|last=Holtz|first=Thomas R.|date=2012|access-date=November 22, 2019|archive-date=August 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812011954/http://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/dinoappendix/HoltzappendixWinter2011.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Siegwarth, J., Linbeck, R., Bakker, R. and Southwell, B., 1996, "Giant carnivorous dinosaurs of the family Megalosauridae", ''Hunteria'' '''3''': 1–77</ref> However, ''Edmarka rex'' and "Brontoraptor" lack detailed analyses to verify whether or not they actually belong to ''T. tanneri''.<ref name="Dalman2014"/> ''T. tanneri'' is estimated to have weighed approximately {{convert|2|-|2.4|MT|ST}},<ref>{{cite book|last1=Paul|first1=G. S.|title=The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs|publisher=Princeton University Press|year=2016|isbn=9780691167664|edition=2nd|location=Princeton, New Jersey|pages=93}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Farlow|first1=J. O.|last2=Coroian|first2=D.|last3=Currie|first3=P.J.|last4=Foster|first4=J.R.|last5=Mallon|first5=J.C.|last6=Therrien|first6=F.|year=2022|title="Dragons" on the landscape: Modeling the abundance of large carnivorous dinosaurs of the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation (USA) and the Upper Cretaceous Dinosaur Park Formation (Canada)|journal=The Anatomical Record|volume=306 |issue=7 |pages=1669–1696 |doi=10.1002/ar.25024|doi-access=free|pmid=35815600}}</ref><ref name="paul">{{cite book|title=Predatory Dinosaurs of the World|last=Paul|first=Gregory S.|author-link=Gregory S. Paul|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|year=1988|isbn=0-671-61946-2|page=[https://archive.org/details/predatorydinosau00paul/page/282 282]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/predatorydinosau00paul/page/282}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Pintore |first1=R. |last2=Hutchinson |first2=J. R. |last3=Bishop |first3=P. J. |last4=Tsai |first4=H. P. |last5=Houssaye |first5=A. |year=2024 |title=The evolution of femoral morphology in giant non-avian theropod dinosaurs |journal=Paleobiology |volume=50 |issue=2 |pages=308–329 |doi=10.1017/pab.2024.6 |doi-access=free |pmid=38846629 |pmc=7616063 |bibcode=2024Pbio...50..308P }}</ref> while ''T. gurneyi'' is estimated to have weighed {{convert|4|-|5|MT|ST}}.<ref name=gurneyi/>

[[File:Torvosaurus gurneyi.png|thumb|Skeletal restoration showing the size of ''T. gurneyi'', known remains highlighted]]Among the differentiating features originally recognized between ''T. gurneyi'' and ''T. tanneri'' are the number of teeth, alongside the size and shape of the mouth. While the upper jaw of ''T. tanneri'' has more than 11 teeth, that of ''T. gurneyi'' has less.<ref name="gurneyi" /> However, later examination of a new right maxilla, probably belonging to the same individual as the holotype of ''T. gurneyi'', has determined that, while the two species can be distinguished based on the morphology of the maxillary medial wall and interdental plates, the supposedly lower number of maxillary teeth in the Portuguese form may be an artifact of preservation, since it is not possible to know the exact number of teeth in the complete maxilla at the moment.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last1=Malafaia|first1=E.|last2=Mocho|first2=P.|last3=Escaso|first3=F.|last4=Ortega|first4=F.|date=March 2017|title=New data on the anatomy of Torvosaurus and other remains of megalosauroid (Dinosauria, Theropoda) from the Upper Jurassic of Portugal|url=http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s41513-017-0003-9|journal=Journal of Iberian Geology|language=en|volume=43|issue=1|pages=33–59|doi=10.1007/s41513-017-0003-9|bibcode=2017JIbG...43...33M |s2cid=132198140|issn=1698-6180|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

The material from Germany is further distinguished by the other two species by a temporal difference of c. 10 Ma and a few morphological differences which indicate that it was the third species outside a sister taxon relationship between ''T. tanneri'' and ''T. gurneyi''. The material is only 10% smaller than the maxilla of ''T. tanneri'', although the ontogenetic stage of the specimen is unknown. This indicates that derived megalosaurines were already among the largest terrestrial predators of the late Middle Jurassic, with only a moderate increase in size in the genus by the Late Jurassic.<ref name=":1" />[[File:Torvosaurus reconstructed skull.png|thumb|Skull reconstruction of ''T. tanneri'', with known remains in white]]
''Torvosaurus'' had an elongated, narrow snout, with a kink in its profile just above the large nostrils. The frontmost snout bone, the [[premaxilla]], bore three rather flat teeth oriented somewhat outwards with the front edge of the teeth crown overlapping the outer side of the rear edge of the preceding crown. The [[maxilla]] was tall and bore at least eleven rather long teeth. The [[antorbital fenestra]] was relatively short. The [[lacrimal bone]] had a distinctive lacrimal horn on top. Its lower end was broad in side view. The eye socket was tall with a pointed lower end. The [[jugal]] was long and transversely thin. The lower front side of the [[quadrate bone]] was hollowed out by a tear-shaped depression, the contact surface with the [[quadratojugal]]. Both the neck vertebrae and the front dorsal vertebrae had relatively flexible ball-in-socket joints. The balls on the front side of the vertebral centra had a wide rim, a condition by Britt likened to a [[Derby hat]]. The tail base was stiffened in the vertical plane by high and in side view wide neural spines. The whole of the arm was very strong, but somewhat short. Whether the thumb claw was especially enlarged is uncertain. In the pelvis, the [[Ilium (bone)|ilium]] resembled that of ''Megalosaurus'' and had a tall, short, front blade and a longer pointed rear blade. The pelvis as a whole was massively built, with the bone skirts between the [[pubic bone]]s and the [[ischium|ischia]] contacting each other and forming a vaulted closed underside.<ref name="Britt1991"/>