During the year of 2023, a group of researchers led by Jongyun Jun found a dinosaur fossil which dates back to the middle Cretaceous period in Aphae Island of Korea. This new dinosaur would grow on to become Doolysaurus after the famous cartoon character within that region. Now, in the year 2026 have scientists decided to disclose the information to the public.
Whilst there have been various dinosaur footprints and eggshells found within the Korean peninsula, it is very rare to actually find any traces of fossils. So far, before the discovery of Doolysaurus, there have been only two dinosaur species in Korea to have been discovered; the Koreaceratops and the Koreanosaurus. The newfound creature is debated to have roamed the earth around 113 million years ago, during the age of some of the largest land animals to have ever existed (Davis, 2026).
“Korea has a very rich record of fossil footprints and they’ve been studied extensively for a number of years,” Professor Paul Barrett, a dinosaur expert in the United Kingdom explains. “In particular we know we have a variety of small and large plant eaters and a bunch of meat-eating dinosaurs as well.” (Davis, 2026).
The dinosaur is estimated to have been only a juvenile when it had died, and is approximated to be at least 0 to 2 years old. At its fully grown height, researchers from the institute predict that Doolysaurus is at least twice the height of a turkey. Using CT scanning, the fossils that have been found are composed of the jawline, the spine, and bones from the upper thigh and lower feet of the animal. This has been especially intriguing to Korean researchers knowing that from the structural body of the dinosaur, it is likely to have been an omnivore and had consumed a wide diet for its nutrition, contrary to its two other discovered cousins in the region who were herbivores (University of Texas, 2026).
Jongyun Jun, the leader of the team who had discovered the dinosaur fossil and postdoctoral researcher at the UT Jackson School of Geosciences, joked about how the group of people had come up with the name. “Dooly is one of the very famous, iconic dinosaur characters in Korea. Every generation in Korea knows this character. And our specimen is also a juvenile of ‘baby’, so it is perfect for our dinosaur species to honor Dooly.”
Doolysaurus, using a graphic redesign of the character, probably was covered in feathers and had the similar body type of that of a raptor. The muzzle has the similar shape of a horse, and had long claws to that of a bird today. Users online had flocked to social media apps to gush over the dinosaur’s ‘cuteness’ from seeing the lifelike design, some joking about how they would love to time travel back to the Cretaceous period to take one Doolysaurus home as a pet (Jo, 2026).
This research holds not just a newfound discovery towards not just the dinosaur species, but opens the door to new scientific predictions within the paleontological world. As fossils are some of the most vital traces of the world before humankind, this can lead towards understanding of the past. To have a grasp of the land before time, the future is more comprehensible, predicting and-possibly preventing any more likely disasters to happen, unlike the giants who have walked this land millions of years ago.
