( CNN ) -- At about 33 feet long , weighing 4 to 5 tons and baring large blade-shaped teeth , the dinosaur Torvosaurus gurneyi was a formidable creature . `` I suppose it would n't be a good idea to cross the way of this dinosaur , '' said Christophe Hendrickx , doctoral candidate at the New University of Lisbon in Portugal . Thanks to Hendrickx and paleontologist Octavio Mateus , Torvosaurus gurneyi may have the distinction of being the largest terrestrial predator found in Europe . Hendrickx and Mateus describe this dinosaur in a new study in the journal PLOS One . The remains of Torvosaurus gurneyi were discovered at the Lourinha Formation , a fruitful site of dinosaur bones north of Lisbon . Before this study , bones that scientists say belong to the new species were thought to belong to Torvosaurus tanneri , a North American dinosaur species . But comparisons between the remains of the Portuguese and North American specimens suggest that they warrant distinct species names . For instance , Torvosaurus tanneri had at least 11 teeth , while Torvosaurus gurneyi had fewer , scientists said . Torvosaurus gurneyi lived about 150 million years ago . The continents had previously all been one land mass , but by the time of this dinosaur , the Iberian Peninsula had broken off from North America , Hendrickx said . `` The study provides compelling evidence in support of the hypothesis that temporary connections between North America and Europe existed during the Late Jurassic , and these allowed for intercontinental faunal mixing , '' Gregory Erickson , a Florida State University paleobiologist not involved in the study , said via e-mail . Subsequent geographic isolation led to the development of distinct species , Erickson said . The Tyrannosaurus , Carcharodontosaurus and Giganotosaurus from the Cretaceous period -- defined as 145.5 million to 65.5 million years ago -- were larger than Torvosaurus gurneyi . But this European giant seems to have been a powerful predator . The dinosaur appears to have been a carnivore that probably ate herbivorous dinosaurs . Its teeth were nearly 4 inches long ; its skull was thought to be about 45 inches long . The environment where it lived was tropical , with temperatures ranging from 86 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit . A diverse collection of dinosaurs roamed the area . `` The fauna was certainly dominated by dinosaurs , '' Hendrickx said . Specimens that most likely belong to this species include an upper jaw bone , teeth and partial tail vertebrae , remnants discovered in 2003 . Hendrickx proposes other material found at the same site in Portugal also belongs to Torvosaurus gurneyi . A tibia and femur seem to fit the profile , as do embryos that Hendrickx , Mateus and colleagues described in the journal Nature last year . Torvosaurus gurneyi could have been covered with proto-feathers , given evidence from closely related dinosaurs , the scientists said . But as for its colors , no one yet knows . Erickson called the discovery exciting . It demonstrates that large theropods -- meat-eating dinosaurs -- lived in Europe during the Late Jurassic . `` Torvosaurus gurneyi was the T. rex of its time , '' Erickson said . Hendrickx named the species after James Gurney , an artist and writer known for the illustrated `` Dinotopia '' book series about -- guess what ? -- a society of people and dinosaurs . Mammoth , 'very strange-looking ' dinosaur skull found in Canada . First dinosaur bones in Saudi Arabia discovered .
However , is said to be a new genus . A new study says it lived about 150 million years ago and roamed Europe . It probably hunted herbivorous animals on the Iberian Peninsula .