Baryonyx

Name Origin

Heavy Claw

Family

Spinosauridae

Classification

Diapsida, Saurischia, Theropoda

Habitat (Discovery Location)

United Kingdom

Period

Approximately 125 to 94 million years ago (Early Cretaceous to Mid-Cretaceous)

Length

Approximately 8 to 10 meters

Weight

Approximately 1.5 to 5.5 tons

Diet

Carnivore (Meat-eater)

Description

Baryonyx was a carnivorous dinosaur that lived in the United Kingdom during the Early Cretaceous period.
Its name means “heavy claw,” and as its name suggests, its most prominent feature was the large claws on its forelimbs, including a thumb claw that reached a length of 35 cm.
It was 8 to 10 meters long and is believed to have lived along the banks of rivers and lakes.

It is believed to have lived along the banks of rivers and lakes.

The Pioneer of Piscivorous Dinosaurs and the Mystery of Its Diet

The greatest mystery of Baryonyx was its unique diet.
Its mouth was long and slender, like a crocodile’s, and it had a total of 96 cone-shaped teeth in its upper and lower jaws.

It had a total of 96 cone-shaped teeth in its upper and lower jaws.

Because its teeth lacked the serrations used by other carnivorous dinosaurs to tear meat, it was initially believed to have been incapable of attacking and taking down large animals.

However, the discovery of a half-digested fish fossil in its stomach drew attention to Baryonyx as a very rare dinosaur that primarily ate fish.
Like its relative, Spinosaurus, it is believed to have caught and eaten fish in a similar way to modern bears.

On the other hand, the discovery of an undigested Iguanodon bone in its digestive tract revealed that it was not exclusively piscivorous and also ate the meat of land-dwelling herbivorous dinosaurs.
It would have used the sharp claws on its forelimbs to attack other dinosaurs when it had the chance.

Hunting Style and Physical Characteristics

The neck and jaw of Baryonyx were long and slender, very similar to a crocodile’s.
It likely used its long, low-resistance snout to quickly snap at its prey.
This crocodile-like snout and tooth shape were a crucial clue for identifying its relatives, such as Spinosaurus and Suchomimus. Even today, the existence of Baryonyx is indispensable for research on these dinosaurs.

Baryonyx’s forelimbs were large for a theropod, and it appears to have had great arm strength.
Its large, curved thumb claw is believed to have been used to hook fish or to slash the bellies of prey.

A fossil of a Baryonyx claw

An Unexplained Full Picture and Future Outlook

The Baryonyx fossil was discovered in 1983 by amateur fossil collector William Walker.
Only one specimen has been found, but it is well-preserved, with about 70% of the bones identified.
However, a complete skeleton has not yet been assembled, and its full appearance remains a mystery.

In recent years, new research on its relatives has sent shockwaves through the scientific community. There may come a day when new information about Baryonyx is revealed that we do not yet know.