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Long-snouted spinosaurid with large thumb claws walking in side view
Life reconstruction of the spinosaurid Baryonyx walkeri.Image credit: Sauroarchive, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsCC BY 4.0Source (opens in a new tab)

Baryonyx walkeri

Pronounced BARE-ee-ON-iks WAW-ker-eye

Tetanurae · Spinosauridae

A fish-eating spinosaurid from the Early Cretaceous of southern England, with a long, crocodile-like snout and a 31 cm thumb claw. Its skeleton, found by an amateur collector in 1983, still held fish scales and Iguanodon bones in its belly.

  • Bipedal
  • Possibly semiaquatic
  • Famous specimen
Compare
Period
Cretaceous· Barremian
Diet
Piscivore
Length
7.5–10 m
Mass
1,200–2,000 kg
Location
Surrey, United Kingdom

Quick answers

How big was Baryonyx walkeri?
Baryonyx walkeri was about 7.5–10 m long. It stood about 2.2–2.6 m tall at the hips. It weighed about 1.2–2 t. (Wikipedia: Baryonyx 2026; Paul 2016)
When did Baryonyx walkeri live?
Baryonyx walkeri lived during the Early Cretaceous, about 125.8–121.4 million years ago. (Paleobiology Database: Baryonyx occurrences 2026; Barker et al. 2021)
Where have Baryonyx walkeri fossils been found?
Fossils of Baryonyx walkeri have been found in Weald Clay Formation (Surrey) and United Kingdom. (Charig & Milner 1986; Barker et al. 2021)
What did Baryonyx walkeri eat?
Baryonyx walkeri was a piscivore or carnivore. (Charig & Milner 1986; Barker et al. 2021)
Who named Baryonyx walkeri, and when?
Baryonyx walkeri was described by Alan J. Charig & Angela C. Milner in 1986. (Charig & Milner 1986; Museum & London 2026)
Was Baryonyx walkeri in Jurassic Park?
Yes. Baryonyx walkeri appears in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) and Jurassic World Dominion (2022). A predator on Isla Nublar during the volcanic eruption in Fallen Kingdom. Fish scales found with its stomach contents show it ate fish; its long, crocodile-like snout suited catching them. (Wikipedia: Dinosaurs in Jurassic Park 2026; Museum & London 2026)

On this page

BARE-ee-ON-iks WAW-ker-eye

Period
Cretaceous125.8–121.4 Ma
Diet
Piscivore
Length
7.5–10 m
Mass
1.2–2 t
Location
United Kingdom
Classification
Tetanurae · Spinosauridae
Described
1986, Alan J. Charig & Angela C. Milner

Overview

Baryonyx walkeri lived in southern England in the Barremian, about 125 million years ago, among lagoons and rivers. In January 1983 the amateur collector William Walker found a huge claw in a clay pit near Ockley, Surrey; Natural History Museum staff excavated the skeleton in May and June 1983, and Alan Charig and Angela Milner named it in 1986.

The skeleton (NHMUK PV R9951) is one of the most complete meat-eating dinosaurs found in Britain, with most of the skull. It showed for the first time what spinosaurids looked like: a long, narrow snout with a rosette of teeth at the tip, nostrils set far back and conical, crocodile-like teeth.

Fish scales and bones of a young Iguanodon were found where the stomach had been, so it ate both fish and land animals. It is the best-known spinosaurid from Europe and a key reference for relatives such as Suchomimus and Spinosaurus.

Name meaning

"Heavy claw", from Greek barys ("heavy") and onyx ("claw"); walkeri honours William Walker, who found it (Charig & Milner 1986).

Biology & evidence

What scientists think about how this animal lived, and how strong the evidence for each idea is.

Feeding

  • Baryonyx also ate land animals such as young Iguanodon.

    Evidence level: Strong evidence

    Bones of a young Iguanodon lay in the same abdominal area. Whether it hunted or scavenged them cannot be told.

    Evidence for / against · 1
    Evidence for

    • Specimen · Baryonyx stomach contents

      Fish scales and bones of a young Iguanodon found in the abdominal region of the holotype.

      Specimen: NHMUK PV R9951

  • Baryonyx ate fish.

    Evidence level: Direct evidence

    Partly digested fish scales were found where its stomach had been, the first direct proof of a fish-eating non-bird dinosaur. Its snout and teeth also resemble those of fish-eating crocodiles.

    Evidence for / against · 2
    Evidence for

    • Specimen · Baryonyx stomach contents

      Fish scales and bones of a young Iguanodon found in the abdominal region of the holotype.

      Specimen: NHMUK PV R9951

    • Comparative anatomy · Baryonyx skull and teeth

      Nostrils set far back, a rosette of teeth at the snout tip and conical, rounded teeth like those of crocodiles.

      Specimen: NHMUK PV R9951

Size

Length
7.5–10 m

(32.8 ft)

Based on NHMUK PV R9951

Height
2.4 mpublished range 2.2–2.6 m

(7.9 ft)

Based on NHMUK R9951 (holotype, subadult)

Mass
1,200–2,000 kg

Based on NHMUK PV R9951

Baryonyx walkeri was about 10 m (32.8 ft) long, roughly 5.6 times the height of a 1.8 m adult human.

Timeline

Lived from about 125.8 to 121.4 million years ago (Ma), within the Mesozoic era (252–66 Ma).

Periods: Barremian (125.8–121.4 Ma), Early Cretaceous (145–100.5 Ma)

Early Barremian bounds of the type collection in PBDB; the NHM gives "around 125 million years".

Location

Formations

Map data: Natural Earth (public domain). Modern positions, not where the continents were then.

These are the places where fossils have been found, not the full area where the animal lived.

Ecosystem

Lived in: Weald Clay

136–125 million years ago · river system, lake, swamp / wetland, coastal plain

Early Cretaceous lagoons, lakes and rivers of south-east England, fresh to brackish, in a semi-arid, fire-prone climate.

Same ecosystem

Iguanodon bernissartensis

Cretaceous· BarremianHerbivore

Classification

  1. cladeDinosauria
  2. cladeSaurischia
  3. cladeTheropoda
  4. cladeTetanurae
  5. superfamilyMegalosauroidea
  6. familySpinosauridae
  7. subfamilyBaryonychinae
  8. genusBaryonyx
  9. speciesBaryonyx walkeri

Taxonomic status: Valid

Fossil record

Skull and skeleton elements of the Baryonyx walkeri holotype NHMUK PV R 9951, Natural History Museum, London.Image credit: The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsCC BY 4.0Source (opens in a new tab)
Specimens
Catalog numberStatusInstitutionFound
NHMUK PV R9951HolotypeNatural History Museum, London (NHMUK)1983

What has been found

Holotype: NHMUK PV R9951

  • Preserved
  • Partial
  • Reconstructed
  • Unknown / not recorded
Region by region (table)
Skeleton regions of Holotype: NHMUK PV R9951
RegionState
SkullPartial · Snout and braincase.
MandiblePartial
TeethPartial
Cervical vertebraeUnknown / not recorded
Dorsal vertebraeUnknown / not recorded
SacrumUnknown / not recorded
Caudal vertebraeUnknown / not recorded
RibsUnknown / not recorded
GastraliaUnknown / not recorded
Scapula / shoulder girdleUnknown / not recorded
HumerusUnknown / not recorded
Forearm (radius / ulna)Unknown / not recorded
Hand (manus)Partial · Large first-finger claw, 31 cm along the curve.
PelvisUnknown / not recorded
FemurUnknown / not recorded
Tibia / fibulaUnknown / not recorded
Foot (pes)Unknown / not recorded
Reconstructed skull of Baryonyx at the Dinosaur Isle museum, Sandown, showing the long, crocodile-like snout.Image credit: A Cynical Idealist, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, Dinosaur Isle, SandownCC BY 4.0Source (opens in a new tab)

All specimens

Discovery

Year described
1986
Described by
Alan J. Charig & Angela C. Milner
Type specimen
NHMUK PV R9951

Discovery timeline

  1. 1983 · First material found

    William Walker finds the Baryonyx claw

    An amateur collector finds a 31 cm claw in a clay pit near Ockley, Surrey, in January 1983; the museum excavates the skeleton that spring.

    People: William J. Walker

  2. 1986 · Formally described

    Charig and Milner name Baryonyx walkeri

    The "heavy claw" is named in Nature.

    People: Alan J. Charig, Angela C. Milner

  3. 2021 · Major study

    Two new baryonychines named from the Isle of Wight

    Barker and colleagues describe Ceratosuchops and Riparovenator, close relatives of Baryonyx, and argue spinosaurids originated in Europe.

In Jurassic Park & Jurassic World

Films

  • Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)
  • Jurassic World Dominion (2022)

On screen

A predator on Isla Nublar during the volcanic eruption in Fallen Kingdom.

Film vs fossils

  • Fish scales found with its stomach contents show it ate fish; its long, crocodile-like snout suited catching them.

Film titles are used for identification only. DinoDex is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Jurassic Park / Jurassic World franchise. All dinosaurs seen in the films

Sources

  1. (2026). Paleobiology Database: Baryonyx occurrences. The Paleobiology Database (paleobiodb.org), data service 1.2, accessed 2026-09-23. https://paleobiodb.org/data1.2/occs/list.txt?base_name=Baryonyx&show=coords,paleoloc,strat,loc,ref&pgm=gplates (opens in a new tab)
  2. (2026). Wikipedia: Baryonyx. Wikipedia (English), accessed 2026-09-23. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baryonyx (opens in a new tab)
  3. (2026). Wikipedia: Dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinosaurs_in_Jurassic_Park (opens in a new tab)
  4. Barker, C. T., Hone, D. W. E., Naish, D., Cau, A., Lockwood, J. A. F., Foster, B., Clarkin, C. E., Schneider, P. & Gostling, N. J. (2021). New spinosaurids from the Wessex Formation (Early Cretaceous, UK) and the European origins of Spinosauridae. Scientific Reports 11. doi:10.1038/s41598-021-97870-8 (opens in a new tab)
  5. Charig, A. J. & Milner, A. C. (1986). Baryonyx, a remarkable new theropod dinosaur. Nature 324: 359-361. doi:10.1038/324359a0 (opens in a new tab)
  6. Natural History Museum, London (2026). How did Baryonyx change what we knew about spinosaurs?. nhm.ac.uk. https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/how-did-baryonyx-change-what-we-knew-about-spinosaurs.html (opens in a new tab)
  7. Paul, G. S. (2016). The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs (2nd edition). Princeton University Press.