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Size:
9 metres long
Weight: 2 tonnes
Distribution: Western Europe
Description: This
unusual European dinosaur was first discovered in England in 1983.
It existed during the Cretaceous period of about 122 million
years ago. Members of this
group are very rare and few remains have ever been discovered – the
most complete specimen is still from the original dinosaur.
Similar members of this group have also been discovered in Africa
and these include spinosaurus and suchomimus.
The most unusual features are the long, pointed crocodile-like
snout and large, curved 12-inch claw on each hand.
Together with the long neck and fairly slender build, these all
point towards a body design specialised for catching fish.
This is further confirmed by the short, pointed teeth,
characteristic of fish-eating creatures, and the presence of fish scales
in the abdominal region of the skeleton.
It is likely, however, that baryonyx fed on a variety of food
stuffs and small iguanodon bones have also been found associated with
the skeleton. A mainly
piscivorous diet is likely but supplemented by scavenging or predatory
behaviour towards relatively small prey animals.
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