Drag to rotate the Gryponyx, scroll or pinch to zoom, and click a body part - the head, an arm's thumb spike, the tail, or a leg - to read what fossils tell us about it. The panel beside the model carries the real figures.
Gryponyx was a large plant-eating dinosaur that could walk on two legs or drop to all fours, with a horse-like beaked snout and a large conical spike on each hand - turn on the human figure to see how a person compares to its body.
The colors and skin here are an artistic reconstruction; fossils preserve bone, not soft tissue or color. This model is not a fossil-accurate skeleton. The measurements in the panel follow published estimates, with ranges shown where sources disagree.
Gryponyx 3D Viewer
This page renders a Gryponyx as a 3D model you can spin in the browser - drag to rotate, scroll or pinch to zoom, toggle a 1.8 m person beside it for scale, and click a body region to read a fact.
Gryponyx was an Early Jurassic sauropodomorph from South Africa, known from a nearly complete postcranial skeleton (SAM 3357-59) in the Upper Elliot Formation. Broom named G. africanus in 1911. Length is about 5 m. Mass is poorly constrained; one secondary estimate is about 485 kg. Some older work synonymized it with Massospondylus; later analyses argued it is distinctive.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Length | about 5 m |
| Hip height | about 1.6-2.0 m (proportionate estimate for a bipedal sauropodomorph) |
| Weight | poorly constrained; one secondary estimate about 485 kg |
| When it lived | about 201-190 million years ago (Early Jurassic, Hettangian-Sinemurian) |
| Diet | Herbivore (basal sauropodomorph) |
Everything runs on your device with WebGL - no account, nothing sent to a server. Soft-tissue color is an artistic reconstruction; this model is not a fossil-accurate skeleton. Compare with other early bipeds such as the Iguanodon 3D Viewer.
Frequently Asked Questions
How big was Gryponyx?
About 5 m long. Mass is poorly constrained; one secondary estimate is about 485 kg. Turn on the human figure for scale.
Is Gryponyx the same as Massospondylus?
Older papers synonymized them. Later work (Vasconcelos and Yates) argued Gryponyx is distinctive enough to keep as its own genus. This page treats it as Gryponyx and notes the history.
When and where did it live?
Early Jurassic South Africa, about 201-190 million years ago (Upper Elliot Formation). Named by Broom in 1911.
What does the name mean?
Gryponyx means hooked claw. The species name africanus refers to Africa, where the holotype was found.
Is the model scientifically accurate?
Length follows published estimates, but skin color and soft tissue are artistic. This is not a fossil-accurate skeleton.
Do I need to install anything to view it?
No. The model renders in your browser with WebGL - no app, no account, and nothing about your visit is sent to a server. When available, a free-licensed glTF model may swap in after first paint.