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Baryonyx
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| Named |
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"Heavy Claw" (1986) Charig & Milner |
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Saurischian, Theropoda, Spinosauridae
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Length
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10.5m (35ft)
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Height
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3m (10ft) * at hip
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Weight
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2 tonnes
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Diet
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Fish, small to medium size dinosaurs, turtles and crocodiles.
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Baryonyx has a crocodile-shaped skull and teeth. The name comes from the huge and powerful claw from the hand. Baryonyx is unusual among dinosaurs in that it caught and ate fish. Scientists think this because the acid-etched bones of a fish called Lepidotes was found among its skeleton. It probably stood in a river or lake and used its crocodile-shaped skull to catch fish. The handclaws were specialised for catching and killing small to medium sized dinosaurs, and other animals. This would have been necessary when the rivers dried up and there were no fish. Baryonyx is probably the ancestor of Spinosaurus (Africa), the star of "Jurassic Park III". You can see some of the teeth of Baryonyx and Spinosaurus at Dinosaur Farm Museum. |
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