Baryonyx (meaning “heavy claw”) was discovered in 1983 by amateur fossil hunter William Walker in Surrey, England. It was described by Charig and Milner in 1986.
Baryonyx lived during the early Cretaceous period, from approximately 130 to 125 million years ago during the Hauterivian and Barremian stages. At about 8.5 m (28 ft) in length and 4 tons in weight, it was quite a large dinosaur, though the only complete skeleton found is believed to have been a sub-adult. Baryonyx forms a taxonomic subfamily with Suchomimus, Cristatusaurus, and Suchosaurus known as Baryonychinae. Remains of Baryonyx have shed light on what they–and possibly related dinosaurs such as Spinosaurus–fed up: fish scales have been found in the remains of Baryonyx stomachs, as well as bones belonging to a species of iguanodont.
Baryonyx can be found on both Isla Nublar and Isla Sorna, though it has not yet been witnessed on either island. They are listed on the JP Brochure Map found in the Ford Explorer tour vehicles and on lab equipment on Isla Sorna. Baryonyx was originally slated to be the main star of Jurassic Park ///, but was eventually replaced with a larger, related species: Spinosaurus aegypticus.