Baryonyx walkeri

Overview

Baryonyx, meaning "heavy claw," was a remarkable fish-eating dinosaur that lived approximately 130-125 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous in what is now England and Spain. With its crocodile-like snout and giant hook-shaped claw, Baryonyx was one of the first dinosaurs discovered that showed clear adaptations for catching fish!

---

Taxonomy & Classification

• Clade: Theropoda
• Family: Spinosauridae
• Diet: Carnivorous (primarily fish)
• Locomotion: Bipedal

Baryonyx was a close relative of the famous Spinosaurus and helped scientists understand the spinosaurid family.

---

Physical Characteristics

Size & Build

• Length: 7.5-10 meters (25-33 feet)
• Height: About 2.5 meters (8 feet) at the hip
• Weight: 1,200-1,700 kg (1.3-1.9 tons)
• Skull Length: About 91 cm (3 feet)

The Famous Claw

Baryonyx's most striking feature:

• Giant claw on the first finger of each hand
• Up to 31 cm (12 inches) long!
• Curved like a hook or talon
• The biggest claw relative to body size of any dinosaur
• Perfect for spearing fish or pinning prey

Crocodile Face

• Long, narrow snout like a crocodile or gharial
• 96 teeth (twice as many as T. rex!)
• Teeth were conical, not blade-like—perfect for gripping fish
• Small crest on the snout
• Nostrils positioned further back on the skull

---

Fish-Eating Dinosaur

A Unique Diet

Baryonyx was specialized for catching fish:

• Crocodile-like snout perfect for snapping at fish
• Conical teeth grip slippery prey
• That massive claw could spear fish from the water
• Probably stood in shallow water like a heron or bear

Stomach Contents

We know what Baryonyx ate because:

• Fish scales and bones found in the stomach area!
• Also found: bones from a young Iguanodon
• Shows it ate both fish AND other dinosaurs
• One of the few dinosaurs with direct evidence of diet

---

How It Hunted

Fishing Methods

Baryonyx probably caught fish by:

• Wading in shallow water like a bear catching salmon
• Striking quickly with its snout
• Using its hooked claws to pin or slice fish
• Ambushing fish swimming past

Land Hunting

It also hunted on land:

• Could catch small dinosaurs and other animals
• The Iguanodon bones prove it ate large prey too
• May have scavenged dead animals
• Used its claws for gripping struggling prey

---

Semi-Aquatic Lifestyle

Water Adaptations

Evidence suggests Baryonyx spent time in water:

• Crocodile-like skull design
• Dense bones for stability in water
• Nostrils set back from the snout tip
• Conical teeth like fish-eating crocodilians
• Probably couldn't swim well but waded effectively

---

An Amazing Discovery

The Claw That Started It All

• Discovered in 1983 by amateur fossil hunter William Walker
• Found in a clay pit in Surrey, England
• Walker initially found the giant claw
• Named in 1986 after him: Baryonyx walkeri
• About 70% complete—extremely rare!
• Changed our understanding of theropod diversity

---

Baryonyx vs. Spinosaurus

Feature	Baryonyx	Spinosaurus
Length	7.5-10m	14-18m
Weight	1.7 tons	7+ tons
Sail	None	Giant sail
Claw Size	31 cm	Unknown
Location	Europe	Africa
Time	130-125 mya	99-93 mya

Baryonyx was like a smaller cousin of the massive Spinosaurus!

---

Pop Culture

Famous Appearances

• Featured in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
• Appears in Jurassic World Evolution games
• One of the most popular spinosaurids after Spinosaurus
• Known for its distinctive crocodile-like appearance

---

Where It Lived

Early Cretaceous Europe

Baryonyx lived in:

• England—the original discovery site
• Spain—additional fossils found
• Possibly Portugal
• Environment: river deltas and floodplains
• Lots of fish to eat!

---

Cool Facts

• Baryonyx was the first fish-eating dinosaur ever discovered!
• Its stomach contents are direct proof of what it ate
• The claw was so unusual, scientists first thought it came from the foot!
• William Walker found the claw while fossil hunting as a hobby
• Baryonyx had more teeth than almost any other large theropod
• It probably used its giant claws like a bear catching salmon
• The discovery inspired the look of spinosaurids in movies

---

Baryonyx was the bear-fishing dinosaur of the Cretaceous—a crocodile-faced hunter with claws like hooks, proving dinosaurs found ways to exploit every food source!