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
Switzerland invites 160 delegations to June Ukraine peace talks
This content was published on
Russia is currently not among the delegations invited to talks aimed at helping bring about peace in the conflict between Moscow and Ukraine.
Survey: air travel most popular way to go on holidays for Swiss
This content was published on
Despite the climate crisis, flying is the most popular mode of transport for private travel – particularly among young, urban and high-income travellers.
Swiss government to use phone data to identify asylum seekers
This content was published on
From April 2025, authorities plan to be able to analyse data from mobile phones, computers and other data carriers to identify asylum seekers.
Young undocumented migrants gain easier access to vocational training
This content was published on
Rejected asylum-seekers and young undocumented migrants in Switzerland will have easier access to basic vocational training from June 1.
Migration: Swiss government wants to shorten reunification period for families
This content was published on
Family members of people temporarily admitted to Switzerland should in future be able to join them after two years instead of three.
This content was published on
2023 was a record year for the Rhaetian Railway in several respects. Never before has the narrow-gauge railway in Graubünden, eastern Switzerland, transported so many passengers and cars.
Swiss CFOs much more optimistic despite global uncertainty
This content was published on
The main concerns of business leaders in Switzerland are geopolitical uncertainty and the important trading partners Germany and China.
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.