Paleontologists from the Korean Dinosaur Research Center and the University of Texas discovered a juvenile dinosaur fossil and identified a new dinosaur species.
The Doolysaurus huhmini was found on Aphae Island in the Ilseongsan Formation. The dinosaur fossil was inside dense rock, and scientists reconstructed it using micro-CT scanning.
Based on growth markers in the femur, the dinosaur was about two years old and the size of a turkey. Scientists believe Doolysaurus huhmini may have had a fuzzy body covering and a soft, bird-like appearance.
Doolysaurus huhmini Dinosaur Fossil
The name comes from a popular cartoon dinosaur in South Korea, Dooly. The huhmini part is in respect to Professor Min Huh, a leader of the Korean paleontological community who assisted with the preservation of fossil sites.
The new species is classified as a thescelosaurid, a group of small bipedal dinosaurs from Asia and North America. Stomach stones reveal that this species was an omnivore, enjoying a diet of plants, insects, and possibly small vertebrates.
Researchers say the dinosaur fossil was well preserved and provided crucial information about how this species grew, and it is believed to be from the mid-Cretaceous period.
Dr. Julia Clarke, professor at UT Austin’s Jackson School of Geosciences, states, “This specimen gives us insight into early plant-eating dinosaurs. We had to compare every part of the skull to known species to confirm it was new. It was a very exciting moment.”
The site also contained dinosaur egg fossils, including bird eggs, suggesting the possibility of future discoveries. “We expect to find more diverse dinosaurs and new species in the future,” Clarke says.
This is the first new dinosaur fossil identified in South Korea in 15 years.
Sources:
Discover Magazine: Meet Dooly, a Baby Dinosaur That May Have Been Fuzzy and Was Hidden in 113-Million-Year-Old Rock
Vice: Scientists Discovered a New Dinosaur Species in South Korea, and It’s Named After a Cartoon
EurekAlert!: Doolysaurus fossil diagram
Featured Image Courtesy of Katsujiro Maekawa’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
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