Baryonyx 1 of 2

Baryonyx is an extinct genus of spinosaur, a member and of the same group as and a close relative to the northern African dinosaurs Spinosaurus and Suchomimus. Baryonyx was smaller than these relatives but was still a big predator. It was 10 meters (33 feet) long and 2.5 meters (8.25 feet) high at the hips. However, studies in the fossils of Baryonyx indicate that it had not yet reached its adult stage, so it could be larger, and another study found that there were vertebrae a little larger than others, which would indicate a possible candle or hump in the adult specimen.

It had a long, narrow snout filled with teeth that were cone-shaped – a real difference from the blade-shaped teeth of typical meat-eating dinosaurs.

Because of the shape of its snout and teeth (both of which are similar to those of modern crocodilians), some paleontologists think that Baryonyx ate lots of fish. Others, however, think it ate other dinosaurs. In fact, both ideas are supported by the original Baryonyx specimen from Surrey, England. In the guts of this dinosaur, paleontologists found the partially digested scales of large fish as well as the partially digested bones of a young Iguanodon. This strongly supports the idea that Baryonyx ate both fish and dinosaurs.

A 2022 study comparing the bone densities of Baryonyx and its close relatives, Spinosaurus and Suchomimus revealed that Baryonyx and Spinosaurus possessed very dense bones and could dive and swim in deep water. By comparison, Suchomimus was more suited to wading after prey in shallow water.