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While finding a previously unknown dolphin species that lived at least 20 million years ago is a big deal... it doesn't compare to where researchers discovered the fossilized remains -- in Switzerland -- a landlocked country that's nowhere near an ocean!
Researchers with Zurich University say they were examining fragments of verterbrae bones and teeth discovered in Switzerland when they realized they were looking at two prehistoric species of the ocean mammal.
They believe the country was once part of an island landscape with ocean water covering its low-lying areas, according to a study published on the PeerJ scientific website. (These areas used to be teeming with fish, sharks and dolphins, researchers say).
The discovery marks the second time in recent weeks that evidence of ocean life was found in Switzerland.
In April, scientists unearthed the fossilized remains of whale-sized marine reptiles called ichthyosaurs while exploring the Swiss Alps.