As reported, a prehistoric species of dolphin was discovered in Switzerland CBS News.

The previously undiscovered species of dolphin reportedly lived around twenty million years ago. This finding has fascinated researchers, also because Switzerland is a landlocked country.

Previously unknown dolphin species discovered in Switzerland

The researchers discussed the finding in a Facebook post shared earlier this month.

They explained that twenty million years ago, dolphins swam in an ocean in the midlands. They revealed that researchers had found not one but two previously unknown species.

Researchers reportedly examined around 300 whale and dolphin fossils from this period to make the distinction. Scientists claim that the bones from the inner ear are the “most interesting” remains because they’re what researchers use to classify different species.

Paleontologist Gabriel Aguirre explained that these inner ear bones can be difficult to find, which can hamper classification efforts. However, Aguirre said they “managed to identify two families of dolphins previously unknown in Switzerland.”

The researchers used micro-computed tomography, a 3D imaging technique, to “reconstruct the softer organs around the hard ear bones to create 3D models of the ears.” Aguirre explained, “This helped us to better analyze the dolphins’ hearing ability.” Researchers were able to determine that the extinct dolphin species are related to the living sperm whales and dolphins.

Switzerland has become a treasure trove for marine fossils

The study was also published on the peerJ Scientific Publications Site. In the research, they explain that the layers of marine sediments are known as upper marine molasses. They were able to dig through this area to find teeth, vertebrae, and bones all buried in marine sediment. Digging through this material allowed the researchers to obtain the bones in the inner ear they needed to classify this previously undiscovered species of dolphin.

Believe it or not, this is actually the second discovery of marine fossils in Switzerland. Last month, Reuters reported spotting whale-sized marine reptiles known as ichthyosaurs on three mountains in the Swiss Alps.

Palaeontologist Martin Sander from the University of Bonn, first author of the study published in Journal of Vertebrate Paleontologydiscussed the finds of ichthyosaur fossils on three mountains in the Swiss Alps over 8,990 feet (2,740 meters) above sea level.

The fossils have been dated around 205 million years ago, which would place them at the end of the Triassic period. The fossils suggest that they were one of the largest predators to inhabit the planet at the time.

Sander said that one of the fossils they discovered, a tooth, “is particularly interesting because it could possibly – but unlikely – represent the largest animal to ever inhabit the earth.” The tooth was reportedly found on Mount Chrachenhorn found near Davos.

A 18-meter-long ichthyosaur described last year had a tooth with a base 2 cm wide. This led Sander to conclude that “a tooth 6 centimeters wide could possibly come from an animal 54 meters long”.