Recaply Copy
Your daily Techy recap
  • Your Daily Tech Recap

Remains of Europe's Biggest Dinosaur Predator Unearthed in Portugal
Remains of Europe's Biggest Dinosaur Predator Unearthed in Portugal

A recently discovered dinosaur species may have Europe crowning a new king of the carnivores. Scientists at Universidade Nova de Lisboa in Portugal recently published a paper describing Torvosaurus gurneyi, the biggest predator to stomp around the continent 150 million years ago. The bones of the dinosaur were discovered in the Lourinha Formation in western Portugal.

Christophe Hendrickx, the main author of the paper, described the new dinosaur as similar in shape to the famous Tyrannosaurus rex, though with a few key differences. "The T. rex had tiny arms with two fingers, while the arms here are definitely larger and also had these huge claws," he told ABC News. "The teeth of the T. rex are more banana-shaped, while these are narrower, more blade-shaped."

As to the size of the dinosaur, Hendrickx estimates that it was 10 meters long and weighed 4 to 5 tons, based on the few bones he and his colleagues were able to recover. "One bone from the upper jaw is huge, about 60 centimeters in length," he said. "A lot of information can be extracted from a bone that size." His observations are published in the journal PLoS One.

A predator of that size comes as a surprise, given Europe's geography at the time. "Europe was an archipelago, a bunch of small islands," said Hendrickx. "Most of the dinosaurs that have been discovered in Europe have been small."

When choosing the name of the species, Hendrickx elected to name it after James Gurney, the illustrator behind the "Dinotopia" book series. "I wanted to honor the guy who was clever and excellent in all his work," he said.

Source: ABC
Tweet

Uhm... Dinosaurs? Share this obv!


We Share Stories Like this Every Day
Follow us to get your Daily Tech Recap!

Follow @Recaply_


Latest Geeky Goodness:
The Diving Bell and the Exoskeleton: An Excursion into the Depths
The Diving Bell and the Exoskeleton: An Excursion into the Depths
Canary raises $10 million for app-enabled home security
Canary raises $10 million for app-enabled home security
How to Make a No. 1 App With $99 and Three Hours of Work
How to Make a No. 1 App With $99 and Three Hours of Work
E-cigarette ban for Los Angeles
E-cigarette ban for Los Angeles
Flipboard Acquires Social Magazine Zite From CNN
Flipboard Acquires Social Magazine Zite From CNN
Is this a bike, a skateboard, a glider or just downright stupid?
Is this a bike, a skateboard or just downright stupid?
Reenact Samuel L. Jackson's 'Jurassic Park' hacking scene
Reenact 'Jurassic Park' hacking scene
This Robot plays Flappy Bird, and it's pretty good too!
This Robot plays Flappy Bird, and it's pretty good too!
A look back at technology we wish had worked: The Rocket Belt
A look back at technology we wish had worked: The Rocket Belt
Is the Internet watching you sleep? The perils of unsecured webcams: The last one is just SHOCKING.
Is the Internet watching you sleep? The perils of unsecured webcams: The last one is just SHOCKING.
How the web was born: WWW turns 25
How the web was born: WWW turns 25
Scientists get a shark's eye view using wearable computers
Scientists get a shark's eye view using wearable computers
What the hell is this giant Russian car?
What the hell is this giant Russian car?
The Tech Industry Is Completely Ridiculous. Let’s Hope It Stays That Way
The Tech Industry Is Completely Ridiculous. Let’s Hope It Stays That Way
Insane tower design launches people on an awesome roller coaster loop
Insane tower design launches people on an awesome roller coaster loop
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.