Researchers have named a newly identified juvenile dinosaur species Doolysaurus huhmini, discovered on Aphae Island in South Korea. The fossil, the first from the country to include skull parts, reveals a turkey-sized animal that likely had a fluffy appearance and an omnivorous diet. The findings, led by Jongyun Jung, were published on March 19 in the journal Fossil Record.
A team led by Jongyun Jung, a visiting postdoctoral researcher at the University of Texas Jackson School of Geosciences, uncovered the fossil in 2023. Co-author Hyemin Jo found the specimen, which initially showed leg bones and vertebrae protruding from rock. A micro-CT scan at the University of Texas High-Resolution X-ray Computed Tomography facility revealed hidden skull fragments and more bones inside the block, marking the first new dinosaur species identified in South Korea in 15 years and the first Korean fossil with skull parts preserved. Jung named it Doolysaurus huhmini after the iconic Korean cartoon dinosaur Dooly and paleontologist Min Huh, who founded the Korean Dinosaur Research Center. 'Dooly is one of the very famous, iconic dinosaur characters in Korea,' Jung said. 'And our specimen is also a juvenile or 'baby', so it's perfect.' The two-year-old dinosaur, about the size of a turkey, lived during the mid-Cretaceous period between 113 and 94 million years ago. Classified as a thescelosaurid, it showed growth patterns confirming its juvenile stage and contained dozens of gastroliths, or stomach stones, indicating an omnivorous diet of plants, insects, and small animals. Julia Clarke, a professor at the Jackson School and study co-author, noted the intact gastroliths suggested the skeleton was largely preserved. 'A little cluster of stomach stones, with two leg bones sticking out indicates that the animal was not fully pulled apart,' Clarke said. Clarke described the dinosaur as potentially 'pretty cute,' resembling 'a little lamb' with possible soft, fuzzy filaments. The team spent over a year analyzing the anatomy digitally, avoiding years of manual rock removal. Jung and collaborators plan further CT scans on Korean fossils and searches on Aphae Island, anticipating more discoveries in the region's rocks.