Baryonyx walkeri

Baryonyx is known from a partial skull and postcranial skeleton and is to date the most complete theropod found in England, it was discovered in a pit in Surrey, England, 1983. It was found by amateur palaeontologist William Walker. At least 70% of the specimen was recovered and is on display in the Natural History Museum, London. Its hands were equipped with a huge claw and its crocodile-like snout indicate it was probably a piscivorous animal. It is possible that the genera Suchomimus and Cristatusaurus are junior synonyms of Baryonyx. Suchosaurus cultridens from the Early Cretaceous of England, known from teeth is most probably the same animal than Baryonyx walkeri.

Name

Baryonyx walkeri

Authority

Charig & Milner, 1986

Meaning of generic name

Heavy Claw

Meaning of specific name

of Walker

Size

Length: 9 m

Remains

Partial skull and associated postcranial skeleton.

Age and Distribution

Wealden Beds, Smokejacks Pit, Ockley, Surrey, England.

Classification

Dinosauria Saurischia Theropoda Spinosauroidea Spinosauridae

Further Reading

A. J. Charig and A. C. Milner. 1986. "Baryonyx, a remarkable new theropod dinosaur." Nature 324(6095):359-361.

Charig, A. J., and Milner A. C., 1990, The systematic position of Baryonyx walkeri, in the light of Gauthier’s reclassification of the Theropoda: In: Dinosaur Systematics, Approaches and Perspectives. Edited by Kenneth Carpenter and Philip J. Currie. Cambridge University Press, p. 127-140.

Synonyms

possible such see text above

Images by Nobu Tamura (click to enlarge)

Baryonyx walkeri, April 5, 2007

same, February 2, 2013: