STÉPHANE HERZOG Doctor Lara Sciscio, a specialist in dinosaur tracks, pushes open a large wooden door leading into a cellar. This is the cellar of Porrentruy Castle (Jura), which still houses prisoners on the upper levels, as we learn from our second guide, palaeontologist Gaël Spicher, a PhD student at the Jurassica natural history museum (undergoing renovation until 2027). This treasure trove is dedicated entirely to the finds unearthed at the famous digs that formed part of the A16 Transjurane motorway construction. The project, launched in the early 2000s, took a path through an area that it was thought might feature interesting remains. A team of archaeologists was assembled to carry out some emergency digs, as recounted by scientific journalist Pierre-Yves Frei in his latest book*, dedicated to dinosaurs in Switzerland. In February 2002, near Courtedoux (Jura), some dinosaur tracks were uncovered. They were from sauropods. These long-necked, broad-footed quadrupeds were herbivores. They lived during the Upper Jurassic period, approximately 152157 million years ago. “They would not have hunted us as food, in the way that, for example, a T. Rex would; T. Rex lived in the Cretaceous period and its tracks have been found in the US,” explains Sciscio. The Jura site contains around 700 trails – from dinosaurs crossing Europe – and 14,000 footprints. A real jackpot for the researcher, who joined the Jurassica Museum four years ago from her native Zimbabwe. “A footprint tells us about the animal’s gait, its stride and its weight,” says the palaeontologist, who specialises in ichnology Dinosaurs and their crocodile cousins are all the rage with the Swiss There are three ways to view dinosaurs in Switzerland: the tracks in Vieux Émosson (Valais), the Jurassica Museum (Jura) and the site of Frick (Aargau). Even though the Valais tracks are actually from distant cousins of the dinosaurs, these locations really draw the crowds. by an Amanzia sauropod. This creature had feet as large as columns (1.20 m in diameter in the largest footprint), a long neck, a small head and a long and very strong tail. It stood around four metres at the hip. The “drawing” is the result of comparisons with other sauropods, as these digs did not uncover any skeletons of these animals, adds Sciscio. In order to identify an animal with certainty, however, you need to have both its tracks and its skeleton. The two researchers take us into the courtyard of a training centre, where we can see the basement through glass. This view lets us observe tridactyl (threetoed) tracks, left by theropods, bipedal dinosaurs that were carnivorous and close relatives of the T. Rex. As a reminder, this monster lived up to the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs; modern birds are actually living dinosaurs. The other dinosaurs died out 66 million years ago. Another famous location in Switzerland for observing the tracks of these varied and occasionally terrifying animals is Vieux Émosson, in Valais. These tracks are located at an altitude of over 2,400 metres. The site turned out to be full of surprises, as palaeontologists discovered years later that the animals in question could not have been dinosaurs. “These tracks were left behind by close relatives of the dinosaurs, with whom they shared a common ancestor in the early Triassic,” reveals Pierre-Yves Frei. How this misunderstanding came about features in his book. In 1976, French geologist Georges Bronner and friends decided to travel to the region of the Émosson dam on foot. On the second day, the group reached the region of Vieux “A footprint tells us about the animal’s gait, its stride and its weight.” Lara Sciscio, specialist in dinosaur tracks Pierre-Yves Frei: “Un dinosaure dans la montagne”. Savoir suisse, Lausanne 2026, 192 pages (the analysis of footprints). What about the skeletons? Here, there are none. But sauropod remains were discovered in Moutier (Jura) as early as the 19th century, the scientist explains. The animals in question looked like the Diplodocus. Tracks 1.20 metres in diameter Our two scientists open boxes containing fossils unearthed during the Transjurane digs. One is the fossilised stomach of a tortoise. It was alive 152 million years ago, during the Upper Jurassic, whose name itself derives from the Jura. As soon as each fossil or item of animal remains is discovered, it is covered in plaster to protect it, then removed from the rock and transported to the lab for cleaning. There is enough work here to keep scientists busy for decades. But where are the dinosaurs? The palaeontologists slide out a heavy vertical file. It contains the round tracks left UN DINOSAURE DANS LA MONTAGNE À 2400 mètres d’altitude, au cœur des Alpes valaisannes, des empreintes fossiles racontent une histoire improbable : celle de grands reptiles – des dinosaures peut-être – qui arpentaient une plage de sable il y a plus de 200 millions d’années. Découvert en 1976, le site du Vieux Émosson est devenu un cas d’école pour les géologues et les paléontologues. Comment ces traces ont-elles traversé le temps, l’enfouissement, la surrection alpine et l’érosion glaciaire pour réapparaître aujourd’hui en pleine montagne ? Que nous apprennent-elles sur les animaux extraordinaires qui les ont laissées et sur l’histoire géologique de la région ? Dans un récit vif et richement illustré, Pierre-Yves Frei retrace l’enquête scientifique, les débats, les tâtonnements et les découvertes qui ont permis de percer le mystère. Entre aventure de terrain et histoire des sciences, ce livre révèle comment quelques marques dans la roche ouvrent une vertigineuse fenêtre sur le passé de la Terre. PIERRE-YVES FREI est journaliste scientifique et muséographe. Il est l’auteur de plusieurs ouvrages de vulgarisation consacrés aussi bien à l’astronomie qu’à l’histoire des sciences et aux événements singuliers du passé. Au Savoir suisse, il a notamment publié Un tsunami sur le Léman et Du pâté d’éléphant chez Calvin. UN DINOSAURE DANS LA MONTAGNE PIERRE-YVES FREI PIERRE-YVES FREI OU LA TORTUEUSE SAGA DES EMPREINTES DU VIEUX ÉMOSSON UN DINOSAURE DANS LA MONTAGNE Emosson_Couverture_PROD.indd Toutes les pages 28.01.26 16:45 Swiss Review / July 2026 / No. 3 22 Report
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