Imagine a dino with the body of T-rex, the jaws of a crocodile and the hunting skills of a grizzly bear. This is baryonyx. Huge claws and long jaws with tons of teeth made this creature great at attacking prey on land. But this dino also waded in streams and waited for fish to swim by so it could snag them, just the way a modern grizzly bear does.
Take a Stab: Baryonyx' long, slender jaws were packed with very sharp teeth. This beast had up to 128 "knives" in its mouth-twice as many as most other meat-eating dinosaurs. The teeth in front were extra long to hold onto slippery prey.
Slasher: A curved, foot-long claw tipped the first finger on each of baryonyx' hands. These weapons could have easily swiped at fish in fast-moving rivers and hooked all the way through them to bring meals to the creature's mouth.
Wanted: Alive or Dead[]
Amateur fossil hunter William Walker first found this dino's claw.
Baryonyx fossils have been found along with the half-digested remains of ancient fish at prehistoric riverbeds, so scientists are pretty sure that the creature ate a lot of fish. However, old bones from plant-eating dinosaurs, such as iguanodon, were also around, so experts wonder if this predator could have hunted on land. Baryonyx' jaws and claws could have easily ripped through small prey, but iguanodon was pretty big. Chances are, baryonyx used its long snout to dig into the bodies of big dinos to scavenge leftover meat from the kills of other dinosaurs.
Flex-o-Neck Baryonyx had a long neck compared to other dino predators. This gave the reptile better flexibility than its competition, and allowed it to stab its jaws repeatedly at swift-swimming fish without having to move its legs.
Fish Chug: Experts believe that this dino also set up ambushes for fish by holding its jaws open just underneath the surface of a river. Baryonyx's nostrils were set back on its snout so it could still breathe while waiting for the prey to flow into its mouth.
Catch of the Day[]
A baryonyx stands ankle-deep in a shallow stream, staying perfectly still while watching the water for passing fish. Suddenly, a school of prehistoric freshwater fish shoots between the dinos legs. Without hesitation, the baryonyx starts stabbing its jaws into the water, and slashing with its foot-long claws. The dino's sharp front teeth stab through a victim, then the creature swallows it whole.
Trading Card[]
Trivia[]
- A baryonyx is shown hunting a herd of Hypsilophodon on the latter's knowledge card.
- The pose the baryonyx is in is the exact same as the illustration on the front of its knowledge card.
- The baryonyx featured on several Monster Mania cards:
- It is first featured in Where In The World? on Monster Mania 49.
- It is then featured in Fossil Finders on Monster Mania 56.
- It is once again featured in The Real Deal on Monster Mania 62.
- The baryonyx's trading card is featured on Battle of the Monsters Variations 69 on Monster Mania 69.