Pronunciation: DOO-lee-SOR-us
Meaning: Dooly lizard
Author/s: Jung et al. (2026)
Synonyms: None known
First Discovery: Shinan, Republic of Korea
Acta Ordinal: #1203
Doolysaurus huhmini
(Min Huh's Dooly Lizard)Etymology
Doolysaurus is derived from "Dooly" (for "Dooly the Little Dinosaur", an iconic Korean cartoon baby dinosaur character created by Soo-Jung Kim in 1983) and the Greek "sauros" (lizard). The species epithet, huhmini, honours Professor Dr. Min Huh, a palaeontologist who conducted research on a theropod fossil nest from the Aphaedo site, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the study of dinosaurs in Korea over the past 30 years. ZooBank registry: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:895C6714-B565-4100-BE78-0F6AFE1537FE.
Discovery
The remains of Doolysaurus were discovered in the Ilseongsan Formation on the southeastern coast of Aphae Island (Aphaedo), Shinan, Republic of Korea, by Hyemin Jo in 2023. The holotype (KDRC-SA-V001) is a juvenile specimen consisting of a partial skull, a possible shoulder girdle and partial upper arm, three back vertebrae, ribs, a left hindlimb including the thigh, shin, calf, foot bones and toes, and gastroliths—stones that are swallowed to help grind plant mattter in the stomach.
Preparators
Jieun Park of Chonnam National University.
