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.
Pro-Palestine uni protests to be debated in Swiss parliament
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The Swiss People’s Party says it will launch two postulates calling for clarifications about the recent student protests and occupations.
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A 36-year-old man from Ticino lost his life on Saturday in Val Malvaglia, in the north of canton Ticino, during a wingsuit jump from a plane.
Swiss Evangelical Reformed Church numbers dropping in French-speaking Switzerland
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As in German-speaking Switzerland, the number of members of the Reformed Church in French-speaking Switzerland is also declining.
Gotthard traffic queue hits 20km during holiday weekend
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The traffic jam at the Gotthard north portal reached a length of 20 kilometres on the motorway between canton Nidwalden and canton Uri.
Swiss Interior Minister visits Cannes Film Festival
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Swiss Interior Minister left the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday after three days of intensive dialogue, meetings and film screenings.
Swiss theatre director breaks with tradition at Vienna’s Rathausplatz
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With the proclamation of the "Free Republic of Vienna", the start of the festival on Friday evening was unusually political.
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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.