Overview
- Doolysaurus huhmini was formally described on March 19 in Fossil Record from a juvenile, turkey‑sized specimen found in 2023 on Aphae Island’s Ilseongsan Formation.
- The scans exposed rare cranial remains — the first reported from a Korean dinosaur skeleton — enabling placement within Thescelosauridae.
- Histology indicates the individual was roughly 0–2 years old, and dozens of gastroliths suggest a flexible, possibly omnivorous diet.
- The mid‑Cretaceous species (about 113–94 million years ago) adds a body‑fossil datapoint to Korea’s trace‑fossil‑heavy record and informs early neornithischian diversity and biogeography.
- UT Austin’s UTCT facility led the micro‑CT work, and the team plans further imaging and fieldwork in Korea; the name honors the cartoon character Dooly and paleontologist Min Huh.