Fluffy dinosaur remains discovered on South Korean island

Palaeontologists have uncovered the remains of a previously unknown dinosaur species on a South Korean island, marking the country’s first such discovery in 15 years.

The fossil, found on Aphaedo Island, has been named Doolysaurus huhmini. The genus name honours Dooly the Little Dinosaur, a beloved animated character, while the species name pays tribute to Korean palaeontologist Min Huh.

According to researchers, the dinosaur lived on the Korean Peninsula during the mid-Cretaceous period, approximately 113 to 94 million years ago. Scientists believe the animal may have had a feather-like, fluffy covering.

The discovery was made by a joint team from the University of Texas at Austin and Chonnam National University. They recovered a partial skeleton, including skull fragments, vertebrae, hind limbs, and numerous gastroliths—stones swallowed by the animal to aid digestion.

Using micro-CT scanning, the team was able to reconstruct internal anatomical structures embedded in rock. The presence of gastroliths suggests that the dinosaur, which belongs to the thescelosaurid group, was likely omnivorous.

Histological analysis indicates that the specimen was very young, around two years old at the time of death. It was roughly the size of a modern turkey, while fully grown individuals are believed to have been about twice as large.