Swiss palaeontologists have discovered a fish jaw featuring rows of reserve teeth with a clever rotating replacement system.
This content was published on
1 minute
SDA-Keystone/sm
The fossil is one of thousands of finds unearthed during excavation work along the A16 motorway near Courtedoux in western Switzerland. Many dinosaur remains have been found there over the years, and the Jurassic Period gets its name from the region’s Jura Mountains.
On Tuesday, the canton Jura authorities released images of the left lower jaw of a 155 million-year-old fish called Scheenstia (Bavarian for beautiful animal). Researchers discovered that each molar had a rotating replacement tooth. They assume that the fish, which is considered a mussel lover, sometimes lost all its teeth at once. The replacement teeth could have been replaced within a few days by turning around in the jawbone.
Canton Jura’s Paléontologie A16External link project wrapped up at the end of June 2019. But that doesn’t mean the end of scientifically significant discoveries, as the cantonal chancellery has pointed out. Earlier this month, they found a crushed sea turtle.
More
More
Did a dinosaur crush a solitary turtle in the Late Jurassic of Switzerland?
This content was published on
A Swiss team has found an ancient fossil of sea turtle which appears to have been crushed by a dinosaur in the Jura
This content was published on
Nemo brought the Eurovision Song Contest to Switzerland with a victory on Saturday evening in Malmö, Sweden. It is Switzerland's third victory in the history of the music contest.
Switzerland abstains from vote on Palestinian bid for full UN membership
This content was published on
On Friday, Switzerland abstained from the vote at the General Assembly on granting the Palestinians new rights at the United Nations (UN).
Protein in abdominal fat could help shape obesity treatment
This content was published on
The study analysed fat cells from different locations in the body, and found that those in the abdomen have unique properties.
North African asylum claims fall after rapid Swiss processing
This content was published on
The accelerated procedure, now out of its test phase, has resulted in a significant drop in applications from North African countries.
This content was published on
The artist's song "The Code" focuses on their journey as a nonbinary individual. It is one of the favourites to win this year's contest.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
New dinosaur species discovered in Switzerland
This content was published on
An early example of a therapod – bipedal and carnivorous – dinosaur uncovered in Switzerland belongs to a previously unknown genus and species.
This content was published on
Fifteen years ago, the discovery of dinosaur footprints brought construction of a new motorway in the Bernese Jura to a grinding halt.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.