Torvosaurus (/ˌtɔːrvoʊˈsɔːrəs/) is a genus of carnivorous megalosauroid theropod dinosaur that lived approximately 153 to 148 million years ago during the Late Jurassic Period (Callovian to Tithonian) in what is now the United States, Portugal, and potentially having specimens in Tanzania, Germany, and Uruguay as well, making it one of the most widespread theropods known. It contains two currently recognized species, Torvosaurus tanneri and Torvosaurus gurneyi, as well as possibly Torvosaurus ingens if the referral of "Megalosaurus" ingens teeth from the Tendaguru to this genus is correct.
In 1979 the type species Torvosaurus tanneri was named: it was a large, heavily built, bipedal carnivore, that could grow to a length of about 10 m. T. tanneri was among the largest carnivores of its time. Based on bone morphology Torvosaurus is thought to have had a massive, robust skull with very large teeth, stout hind legs, and short but very powerful arms.
Torvosaurus was a very large predator, and overall estimates encompassing all possible specimens suggest sizes of 9-13.7 meters and masses from 2000-7000 kg, making Torvosaurus among the largest land carnivores of the Jurassic.
Thomas Holtz estimated it at 12 meters. The T. gurneyi specimens from Portugal initially prompted larger size estimates to be made. In 2006 a lower end of a thighbone, specimen ML 632, was referred to Torvosaurus sp. and later to T. gurneyi. This specimen was initially stated to indicate a length of 11 meters, and applying the extrapolation method of J.F. Anderson correlating mammal weights to their femur circumference, resulted in a weight of 1930 kilogrammes. However, after its description and released measurements in 2014, a length of 12.2 meters and weight of 5000 kt is a more plausible value, although the holotype maxilla ML 1100 is indicative of a 9 meter and 2000 kg animal. Among the differentiating features between T. gurneyi and T. tanneri are the number of teeth and 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. For its size, Torvosaurus was a very big headed animal, with the largest discovered cranial material indicating a 136 cm skull and with some postcranial specimens likely having skulls more than 160 cm long.
Typical of megalosaurids, the skull of Torvosaurus was wide, robust, and heavily built, with a kink in its profile just above the large nostrils. The frontmost snout bone, the praemaxilla, 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 upper arm was robust; the lower arm robust but short. Whether the thumb claw was especially enlarged, is uncertain. In the pelvis, the 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 bones and the ischia contacting each other and forming a vaulted closed underside.

The mugger crocodile (Crocodylus palustris), also called marsh crocodile, broad-snouted crocodile and mugger, is a crocodilian native to freshwater habitats from southern Iran to the Indian subcontinent. It is extinct in Bhutan and Myanmar and has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1982.


It is a medium-sized crocodile that inhabits lakes, rivers, marshes and artificial ponds. Both young and adult mugger crocodiles dig burrows where they retreat when temperature drops below 5 °C (41 °F) or exceeds 38 °C (100 °F). Females dig holes in the sand as nesting sites and lay up to 46 eggs during the dry season.Sex of hatchlings depends on temperature during incubation.It preys on fish, reptiles, birds and mammals. Young feed on insects.

It is one of three crocodilians in India, apart from saltwater crocodile (C. porosus) and gharial (Gavialis gangeticus).

Megalosaurus (meaning "Great Lizard", from Greek μέγας, megas, meaning 'big', 'tall' or 'great' and σαῦρος, sauros, meaning 'lizard') is an extinct genus of large meat-eating theropod dinosaur of the Middle Jurassic period (Bathonian stage, 166 million years ago) of Southern England. Although fossils from other areas have been assigned to the genus, the only certain remains of Megalosaurus come from Oxfordshire and date to the later part of the Middle Jurassic.
Being named in 1824, Megalosaurus was the first genus of dinosaur to receive a scientific name. The type species is Megalosaurus bucklandii, named in 1827. In 1842, Megalosaurus was one of three genera on which Richard Owen based his Dinosauria. On Owen's directions a model was made as one of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs, which greatly increased the public interest for prehistoric reptiles. 
Subsequently, over fifty other species would be classified under the genus, originally because dinosaurs were not well known, but even during the 20th century after many dinosaurs had been discovered. Today it is understood these additional species were not directly related to M. bucklandii, which is the only true Megalosaurus species. Because a complete skeleton of it has never been found, much is still unclear about its build.
The first naturalists who investigated Megalosaurus mistook it for a gigantic lizard of 20 metres (66 ft) length. In 1842, Owen concluded that it was no longer than 9 metres, standing on upright legs. He still thought it was a quadruped, though. Modern scientists, by comparing Megalosaurus with its direct relatives in the Megalosauridae, were able to obtain a more accurate picture. 
Megalosaurus may have weighed up to 2000 kg. It was bipedal, walking on stout hindlimbs with its horizontal torso balanced by a horizontal tail. Its forelimbs were very robust and large for its size, with the arm bones being proportionally similar in length to those of bears and big cats but much greater in circumference. 
Megalosaurus had an enormous head even by the standards of theropods, with the largest specimens almost certainly having skulls over 1.4 meters long. Its skull and jaws were massively constructed and full of serrated teeth, and its overall build was stout and stocky.

Is it the first? I think there is one more conservation center operating in Laddakh.

#WorldElephantDay2020

I'm starting this thread to compile and discuss information and dynamics as it pertains specifically to wild and feral horses around the globe. This includes the Przewalski horse, as well as common feral populations such as mustangs, brumbies, cimarrones, baguales, among others.

Do you guys know how a Baby Owl sleep? They sleep by lying down and face down. Because apparently, their head is too heavy for their age! So cute! Plus, most baby owl`s bones are quite empty and hollow at this stage. Any other would like to share any cute baby animals picture?

Megalodon (Carcharocles megalodon), meaning "big tooth", is an extinct species of shark that lived approximately 23 to 3.6 million years ago (mya), during the Early Miocene to the Pliocene.[6] It was formerly thought to be a member of the family Lamnidae and a close relative of the great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias). However, it is now classified into the extinct family Otodontidae, which diverged from the great white shark during the Early Cretaceous.

While regarded as one of the largest and most powerful predators to have ever lived, megalodon is known from fragmentary remains, and its appearance and maximum size are uncertain. Scientists differ on whether it would have more closely resembled a stockier version of the great white shark, the basking shark (Cetorhinus Maximus), or the sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus).

Megalodon probably had a major impact on the structure of marine communities. The fossil record indicates that it had a cosmopolitan distribution. It probably targeted large prey, such as whales, seals, and sea turtles. Juveniles inhabited warm coastal waters and fed on fish and small whales. Unlike the great white, which attacks prey from the soft underside, megalodon probably used its strong jaws to break through the chest cavity and puncture the heart and lungs of its prey.

LandScan GIS 2017 data of world population density & distribution.