Dinosaur genus
Torvosaurus
Torvosaurus is a dinosaur genus known from bones, found in rocks 161.5–143.1 million years old, in 5 countries, most often the United States and Portugal.
Confidence labels are switched off. Facts with low confidence, or where sources disagree, still carry a small dot: tap it for the reason.
At a glance
Data as of 10 October 2026- Named by
- Galton and Jensen 1979
high
high: PBDB and Wikidata agree.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Described in
- P. M. Galton, J. A. Jensen (1979). A new large theropod dinosaur from the Upper Jurassic of Colorado. Brigham Young University Geology Studies 26(1): 1–12.
high
high: PBDB gives this publication for the name; its author and year match the naming authority (Galton and Jensen 1979), on which PBDB and Wikidata agree.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. The publication the Paleobiology Database gives as the authority for this genus name, usually the one that first named and described it.
- Type species
- Torvosaurus tanneri
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Lived
- Callovian to Tithonian, 165.3–143.1 million years ago
high
high: PBDB and NHM agree.Omnisaura calculation161.5–143.1 million years ago, from its dated fossil recordsmedium
medium: Omnisaura's calculation from 18 confirmed PBDB records.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Fossils found in
- United StatesPortugal
high
high: NHM and PBDB both record it.Uruguaymedium
medium: Only PBDB records it (5 records).Germanymedium
medium: Only PBDB records it (3 records).Tanzanialow
low: Only one PBDB record.low
low: Only one PBDB record.mixed
mixed: Levels differ between entries; each has its own.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database; Natural History Museum Data Portal. How it was chosen: Union of all sources (ISO 3166).
- Rock formations
- Morrison FormationLourinhã
high
high: NHM and PBDB both record it.Tacuarembómedium
medium: Only PBDB records it (5 records).Ornatentonmedium
medium: Only PBDB records it (3 records).Tendaguru Formationlow
low: Only one PBDB record.low
low: Only one PBDB record.mixed
mixed: Levels differ between entries; each has its own.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database; Natural History Museum Data Portal. How it was chosen: Canonical names, automatic and editor-approved matches applied.
- Family
- Megalosauridae
high
high: PBDB and NHM agree.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database; Natural History Museum Data Portal. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Parent group
- Megalosaurinae
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Order
- Saurischia
medium
medium: Only NHM gives this; nothing contradicts it.Sources
Given by: Natural History Museum Data Portal. How it was chosen: Gap filled from NHM.
- Species named in its records
- Torvosaurus gurneyi, Torvosaurus tanneri
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database (the species its fossil records are identified as).
- Older or other names
- Edmarka (a junior synonym)
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database (names it treats as this genus).
- Diet
- carnivore (inferred for its group)
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this, and it infers it for the whole of Theropoda, the group this genus belongs to, not from this genus's own fossils.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB, inferred from a group the genus belongs to.
- Way of life
- ground dwelling, solitary (inferred for its group)
low
low: PBDB infers this way of life for the whole of Theropoda; behaviour is rarely known for one genus.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB, inferred from a group the genus belongs to.
- Known from
- Bones
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database (what the name was based on).
Gaps are answers
What isn't known yet
- Common names: no source we use gives it yet.
- What it was named after: no source we use gives it yet.
- Held back: 9 fossil records left out: identified only tentatively (for example "cf.", "?" or the name in quotation marks).
- Resting on one source: 4 facts come from a single source with nothing against them (rated medium): type species (PBDB); parent group (PBDB); order (NHM); diet (PBDB).
Size and appearance aren't covered yet, and diet and way of life only as PBDB infers them for the wider group. Omnisaura leaves the rest out rather than guess.
Where sources disagree
None open. Where our sources overlap, they agree on everything shown here.
Did it meet…?
No. Torvosaurus had gone at least 59.5 million years before Tyrannosaurus appears in the fossil record.
Going by the ages and rock formations of their dated fossils, as on the map. Compare their fossil sites on the map.
Connections
Genera linked to Torvosaurus by where and when their fossils were found, by classification and by who named them. Select a name to open its page.
Same rocks, same time 50
Genera found in the same rock units, from rocks of overlapping age, the most shared fossil sites first.
Same family: Megalosauridae 3
Other genera in Megalosauridae with a full profile.
Named by Galton and Jensen 9
Genera whose naming authority includes the same surname. The authority has no initials, so different people who share a surname can appear together.
Found in United States 38
Other genera found in United States, from rocks of overlapping age, the most fossil sites there first.
Credits
Where this page comes from
- Paleobiology DatabaseCC BY 4.0 · fossil records, ages, classification
- Natural History Museum Data PortalCC0 1.0 · catalogued specimens
- WikidataCC0 1.0 · names and identifiers
- OmnisauraOmnisaura editorial · confidence levels and gaps
- PaleoMAP PaleoCoastlines (Kocsis and Scotese 2021)CC BY 4.0 · ancient coastlines on the small map
- Natural EarthPublic domain · today's coastlines
Pictures linked from this page are credited beside each one, with their own licences; the full list is in the JSON download.