During this period, part of Switzerland, known as the Upper Marine Molasse, was covered by an ocean teeming with prehistoric fish, sharks, dolphins, mussels and sea urchins. Among them were two species of dolphins that scientists have recently been able to identify.
Paleontologists at the University of Zurich made the discovery by examining 300 fossils of whales and dolphins that swam around Switzerland at this time.
Amid assorted vertebrae and teeth were found bones from the inner ear, which are extremely rare but allow individual species to be classified.
“We managed to identify two families of dolphins previously unknown in Switzerland,” paleontologist Gabriel Aguirre said in a statementExternal link.
The extinct creatures are related to today’s sperm whale and oceanic dolphins.
Using micro-computed tomography, the team was able to reconstruct softer organs, re-model the ears of the dolphins and even analyse their hearing ability.
University students in Switzerland join Gaza protest wave
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Pro-Palestinian activists occupied university buildings in Lausanne, Geneva and Zurich on Tuesday, widening the protest movement in the Alpine nation.
TradeXBank to resume full operations after Sberbank Switzerland taken off sanctions list
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TradeXBank, the former Swiss branch of Russia’s Sberbank, will be able to resume its dollar-denominated activities from the second half of this year.
Geneva decides not to remove controversial memorials
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The city of Geneva has presented an action plan regarding a series of controversial local statues and monuments of historical figures linked to racism, colonialism or slavery.
University of Lausanne calls for end to pro-Palestine sit-in
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The pro-Palestinian occupation continues at the University of Lausanne (UNIL). On Monday evening, a group of students refused to agree to the deadline set by the rectorate.
Ukraine peace conference should include Russia, says Chinese ambassador
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China supports a peace conference on the Ukraine war that would see equal participation of all parties, says Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui.
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A majority of Swiss citizens have open attitudes towards various infertility treatments, including even egg donation, which is currently prohibited.
Reports of Swiss cyber fraud almost doubled in six months
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The head of the new Federal Office for Cybersecurity (FOC), Florian Schütz, has presented a new strategy after just over four months in office.
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Largest-ever marine reptile tooth discovered in the Swiss Alps
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A team of researchers have identified a 10cm long tooth discovered in the Swiss Alps as belonging to a giant marine reptile called the Ichthyosaur.
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A team of paleontologists from the Natural History Museum in Basel found last week the footprints of a predatory dinosaur at 3,300 metres in Ela Nature Reserve, Switzerland’s largest park. Basel museum officials said on Saturday that the tracks also represent the largest known specimens from the time period. The prints are 40cm long and…
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