Skeletons of the 50 cm-long pachypleurosaurus, which vaguely resemble aquatic lizards, were discovered in a rock formation above the mountain resort of Davos.
The Ducan region at 2,740 metres above sea level has yielded a rich fish and reptile fauna, according to the scientists from the University of Zurich.
The skulls of the new species show two characteristics in the bone structure, palaeontologist Torsten Scheyer told the Swiss news agency, Keystone-SDA.
The reptile is believed to have died out as a result of climate change.
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Gotthard traffic queue hits 11km at start of holiday season
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The start of the summer holidays saw a long traffic jam in front of the Gotthard tunnel on Saturday. Traffic jams between Erstfeld and Göschenen in canton Uri were up to 11 kilometres long early in the morning.
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The water temperature of the Rhine River could rise by up to 4.2° degrees Celsius by the end of the century due to the warming planet, scientists warn.
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The Federal Council wants to explore the possibilities of joining the European Union’s €800-billion rearmament programme without compromising Swiss neutrality.
Defence Minister Pfister stresses importance of Swiss mission in Balkans
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During a visit to the Balkans region last week, Swiss Defence Minister Martin Pfister met Swisscoy peacekeeping troops in Kosovo.
Premiere for Swiss Air Force on French National Day
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On July 14, the Swiss Air Force will take part in the traditional air parade in Paris to mark the French bank holidays with an F/A-18 fighter jet. This is a first for Switzerland.
Swiss launch competition for memorial to Nazi victims
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The victims of Nazi Germany are to be commemorated on the Casinoterrasse in Bern. A competition will be held to determine what the site will look like.
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The cantonal police of Graubünden in eastern Switzerland have arrested and convicted five cocaine dealers in Chur within a week.
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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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Experts have been puzzling over the exact role of the Tanystropheus’s elongated neck, which was as long as its body and tail combined. Some theorised that the feature could have given the dinosaur access to tree foliage, much as today’s giraffe. But a team from the University of Zurich says it has proof that the…
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The mountain is regarded as the best place for studying fossil marine life from the mid-Triassic period and is believed to have once been part of Africa. It has been a Unesco World Heritage site since 2003. More than a thousand metres above sea level, Monte San Giorgio rises like a pyramid on the southern…
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Swiss palaeontologists have discovered a fish jaw featuring rows of reserve teeth with a clever rotating replacement system.
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An early example of a therapod – bipedal and carnivorous – dinosaur uncovered in Switzerland belongs to a previously unknown genus and species.
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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.