"My Name Is Doolysaurus"... New Name Given to Sinan's "Baby Dinosaur"
by Yun Seulgi
Published 20 Mar.2026 08:41(KST)
First Dinosaur Skull Fossil Found in Korea
Estimated Age 0-2 Years Old, Possibly Omnivorous
The scientific name of the newly discovered dinosaur in Sinan County, South Jeolla Province, was inspired by the cartoon "Dooly the Little Dinosaur" and named "Doolysaurus."
On March 19, the Korea Dinosaur Research Center at Chonnam National University and Dr. Jeong Jongyun's team from the University of Texas at Austin published a paper in the international journal Fossil Record. They analyzed a fossil found in the Ilseongsan Formation on Aphaedo Island, Sinan, South Jeolla Province, and identified a new dinosaur species belonging to the basal neornithischians.
This dinosaur was named "Doolysaurus huhmini" (D. huhmini). The research team explained, "Doolysaurus is named after 'Dooly,' the iconic Korean baby dinosaur character created by Kim Soo-jung in 1983. The suffix 'saurus' is derived from the Greek word 'sauros,' meaning lizard. 'Huhmini' comes from Professor Huh Min, a paleontologist who studied theropod dinosaur nest fossils in the Aphaedo region and is currently the head of the National Heritage Administration. This naming honors Professor Huh Min's contributions to domestic dinosaur research over the past 30 years."
According to the study, the fossil includes parts of the skull and torso skeleton, representing a small individual about the size of a turkey.
The dinosaur fossil was discovered in 2023 by Dr. Cho Hyemin (currently at the National Gwangju Science Museum) from the Dinosaur Research Center in the mid-Cretaceous Ilseongsan Formation of Aphaedo Island, Sinan County, South Jeolla Province.
The research team conducted a detailed internal analysis using micro-CT scans at the X-ray Computed Tomography Facility (UTCT), confirming the specimen as a dinosaur skull fossil. This is significant because it is the first specimen in Korea to include a dinosaur skull. It has been 15 years since a new dinosaur species was discovered in Korea.
Based on the specimen's size, anatomical features, and tissue analysis, the individual is determined to be a juvenile that had not fully grown, estimated to be about 0 to 2 years old. Also, considering the shape and mass of small pebbles (gastroliths) found with the fossil, it is suggested that this dinosaur may have been omnivorous, not strictly herbivorous.
Phylogenetic analysis classified Doolysaurus as a member of the thescelosaurid family, a group of bipedal dinosaurs that lived in East Asia and North America during the mid-Cretaceous period, approximately 113 million to 94 million years ago. The research team evaluated that this finding provides important clues for understanding the origin and early distribution of this lineage, along with similar dinosaurs in Asia.
The researchers believe that, with this discovery, there is a high possibility of finding additional small dinosaur fossils in Aphaedo and other regions with similar sedimentary environments.
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