baryonyx

Baryonyx was a theropod dinosaur that lived about 130 to 125 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous. First found in 1983 in Surrey, England, and later in Spain, it’s known as Baryonyx walkeri, named after its discoverer. It had a large, curved claw about 35 cm long on its first finger, a feature that stands out among similar dinosaurs. Its skull, around 95 cm long, had a crocodile-like shape with lots of sharp, serrated teeth—up to 96—pointing to a diet heavy on fish. Standing 2.5 to 3 meters tall and stretching 7.5 to 10 meters long, it likely lived near rivers and deltas.

Baryonyx is part of the Spinosauridae group, with traits like tall back spines and strong arms setting it apart. Fossils from places like England’s Wealden Group suggest it thrived in wet, floodplain areas. That big claw was probably for catching fish, and studies of its teeth back up a fish-based diet, though it might have eaten land animals too when the chance came up. Weighing between 1.2 and 1.7 metric tons, Baryonyx was a unique predator, mixing life on land with hunting in water.