A newly discovered dinosaur species, unearthed on South Korea’s Aphae Islands, has been named Doolysaurus huhmini in honor of a beloved character from a popular Korean cartoon. The finding, announced on March 20, 2026, marks South Korea’s first new dinosaur species in fifteen years, and is particularly significant due to the rarity of dinosaur skeletal remains found in the region.
While South Korea boasts a rich record of dinosaur footprints and eggshells, complete or partial dinosaur skeletons are scarce. The Doolysaurus fossil, dating back approximately 113 million years to the Cretaceous period, consists of preserved leg bones, vertebrae, and, remarkably, portions of the skull – the first dinosaur skull fragments ever discovered in South Korea. Researchers from The University of Texas at Austin and the Korean Dinosaur Research Center detailed their findings in the journal Fossil Record on March 19, 2026.
The juvenile dinosaur, estimated to be around two years old at the time of its death, was relatively tiny, measuring just a couple of feet in length. Researchers believe the animal was still growing and may have eventually reached twice that size. The presence of gastroliths – stomach stones – alongside the skeletal remains suggests an omnivorous diet. “It’s a small type of dinosaur called a thescelosaurid,” explained Professor Paul Barrett, a dinosaur expert at the Natural History Museum, London. “These were small bipedal animals that were early relatives of larger plant eaters like Iguanodon.”
The decision to name the dinosaur after “Dooly the Little Dinosaur,” a cartoon character created by Kim Soo-jung, was a deliberate nod to the creature’s juvenile status and its cultural significance in South Korea. “Dooly is one of the very famous, iconic dinosaur characters in Korea,” said Jongyun Jung, a postdoctoral researcher at UT Austin’s Jackson School of Geosciences and lead author of the research. “Every generation in Korea knows this character. And our specimen is also a juvenile or ‘baby,’ so it’s perfect for our dinosaur species name to honor Dooly.”
The Aphae Islands’ geological history likely contributed to both the preservation of footprints and the scarcity of skeletal remains. The area was likely a tidal mudflat during the Cretaceous period, ideal for preserving impressions but less conducive to the long-term preservation of bones. “Korea has a very rich record of fossil footprints,” Barrett noted. “When we look at those track makers, we can’t really name the exact species, but we do see that You’ll see a lot of different types of dinosaurs – a large variety of small and large plant eaters and a bunch of meat-eating dinosaurs as well.”
The discovery was made during an excavation at a site on the Aphae Islands, off the southwestern coast of South Korea. Researchers initially identified leg bones and vertebrae, but a micro-CT scan at the University of Texas High-Resolution X-ray Computed Tomography (UTCT) facility revealed the presence of additional skeletal elements, including skull fragments, encased within the rock. The UTCT facility, established nearly 30 years ago, was the first in the world to produce this technology available to academic research.
While Doolysaurus huhmini is only the third dinosaur species to be formally named in South Korea, the find underscores the growing potential for paleontological discoveries in the region. Researchers hope further excavations at the Aphae Islands site will yield additional fossils, providing a more complete picture of the dinosaurs that once roamed ancient Korea.
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