About Baryonyx
| Scientific Name (Genus) | Baryonyx |
| Meaning of Name | Heavy claw barys (heavy) [Greek] - onyx (claw) [Greek] |
| Classification | Saurischia, Theropoda, Tetanurae |
| Total Length | Approx. 7.5-8m |
| Diet | Piscivorous |
| Period | Early Cretaceous |
| Species Name | Baryonyx walkeri |
| Year of Paper Publication | 1986 |
| Genus Name Publication | Charig, A. J.; Milner, A. C. (1986). Baryonyx, a remarkable new theropod dinosaur. Nature, Volume 324. |
Features
The genus name Baryonyx means "heavy claw." It lived in England during the Early Cretaceous (about 125 million years ago).
The first digit of Baryonyx's forelimb had a large claw, about 30 cm long, which is the origin of its genus name.
It is estimated to have been 7.5 m long and weighed 1.2 tons. Its jaw was long and narrow like a crocodile's, with 96 teeth.
Housed at the Natural History Museum, London
The use of the claw is not well understood, but theories suggest it was used to spear prey (fish) or as an anchor to withstand river currents.
A 2017 histological study of growth rings in a mature Baryonyx individual (a specimen found in Portugal) revealed that it died at the age of 23-25. This is presumed to be the lifespan of Baryonyx.
Diet of Baryonyx
The discovery of a large number of fish scales in the abdominal region of the Baryonyx fossil, and the fact that its teeth lacked the steak-knife-like serrations of dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus, instead having a structure that prevented prey from slipping, supports the "piscivorous theory."
However, it seems it wasn't "only fish." Undigested bones of a young Iguanodon were also found in the abdominal region of Baryonyx.
This suggests that while Baryonyx primarily ate fish, it may have also been a scavenger, or occasionally a predator of terrestrial dinosaurs.
Discovery by an Amateur Fossil Collector
In January 1983, amateur fossil collector William Walker discovered a large claw and phalanx near Ockley in Surrey, England. Although he didn't initially know what the fossil was, he recognized its importance and contacted paleontologists at the Natural History Museum in London. That same year, British paleontologists Alan J. Charig and Angela C. Milner, along with museum staff, excavated the site and collected about 65% of the skeleton, including the skull, amounting to 2 tons of fossils over six months. William Walker donated the large claw fossil he had previously found to the museum. This discovery was a major breakthrough in understanding the ecology of the then-mysterious Spinosauridae family.
In 1986, Alan Charig and Angela Milner published the paper "Baryonyx, a remarkable new theropod dinosaur" in the world-renowned scientific journal NATURE, describing the new genus and species Baryonyx walkeri.
The genus name "Baryonyx" (= heavy claw) honors the first discoverer, William Walker, and is derived from the large claw he found.
Baryonyx Stamp & Fossil Gallery
