A remarkable new dinosaur discovery from South Korea has captured both scientific and public attention. Researchers have named a newly identified species Doolysaurus huhmini, inspired by a famous cartoon character loved across generations.

A Dinosaur Inspired by a Cultural Icon

The name Doolysaurus honours “Dooly”, a mischievous green cartoon dinosaur well known in South Korea. As a result, the name creates a meaningful link between science and popular culture. Lead researcher Jongyun Jung explained that the connection felt natural. The fossil represents a young individual, and the cartoon character is also depicted as a baby dinosaur. Therefore, the name is both scientifically appropriate and culturally significant.

A life reconstruction of a juvenile Doolysaurus huhmini. It is depicted alongside birds and other dinosaurs that lived during the Cretaceous in what is now South Korea. Picture credit: Jun Seong Yi.

Picture credit: Jun Seong Yi

Hidden Doolysaurus huhmini Fossil Revealed by Advanced Scanning

The fossil was discovered on Aphae Island and initially appeared quite limited. Only a few leg bones and vertebrae were visible. However, everything changed once researchers used advanced micro-CT scanning technology. This technique, developed at University of Texas High-Resolution X-ray Computed Tomography Facility, allowed scientists to look inside the rock without damaging it. As a result, previously hidden skull bones and additional skeletal elements were revealed.

Importantly, this marks the first dinosaur fossil from Korea to preserve parts of the skull. Moreover, it is the first dinosaur species based on skeletal remains described from South Korea since Koreanosaurus boseongensis was named and described in 2011.

A Young Dinosaur About the Size of a Turkey

The specimen represents a juvenile dinosaur, estimated to be around two years old when it died. It measured roughly the size of a turkey. However, adults may have grown to twice that size.

Scientists identified growth markers in the femur, which confirmed its young age. In addition, the anatomy suggests that this dinosaur belonged to a group called thescelosaurids. These were small, bipedal herbivorous or omnivorous dinosaurs. Interestingly, researchers think Doolysaurus may have had a coat of fuzzy filaments. Consequently, it might have looked quite different from traditional scaly dinosaur depictions.

Study co-authors Minguk Kim (left) and Hyemin Jo during the initial discovery and excavation of Doolysaurus. Picture credit: Jongyun Jung, The University of Texas at Austin.

Picture credit: Jongyun Jung, The University of Texas at Austin

Evidence of Diet Preserved in the Fossil

The fossil also contained numerous gastroliths. These are small stones swallowed by animals to aid digestion. Their presence provides important clues to the animal’s diet. It suggests that Doolysaurus was likely an omnivore. In other words, it probably ate plants, small animals, and invertebrates. Furthermore, the gastroliths helped researchers realise that more of the skeleton might be preserved inside the rock. This insight ultimately led to the decision to scan the specimen.

The research, published in the journal Fossil Record, highlights the growing importance of CT scanning in palaeontology. This method is especially useful for small and delicate fossils. South Korea is already famous for dinosaur footprints, nests, and eggs. However, body fossils are comparatively rare. Therefore, this discovery is particularly significant.

To read Everything Dinosaur’s blog post about the discovery of fossils of an early ceratopsid dinosaur in South Korea: Koreaceratops – A Ceratopsian with a Broad Tail.

The researchers are optimistic. They believe that more hidden fossils may be waiting to be revealed using similar techniques.

The skeletal anatomy of a juvenile Doolysaurus huhmini. The graphic highlights the fossil bones that were found with the dinosaur. Known fossil bones shown in white in the skeletal drawing. Artwork: Janet Cañamar, adapted from Jung et al 2026.

Artwork: Janet Cañamar, adapted from Jung et al 2026

Looking Ahead to Future Discoveries

The team plans further fieldwork on Aphae Island and nearby locations. They hope to uncover additional specimens and expand our understanding of Korea’s prehistoric ecosystems.

As a result, Doolysaurus may be just the beginning. With continued exploration and new technology, many more discoveries could follow.

The newly discovered dinosaur species is named after the popular South Korean cartoon Dooly the Little Dinosaur. The titular Dooly is on the left. Picture credit: ⓒDoolynara.

Picture credit: ⓒDoolynara

Mike from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“This charmingly named dinosaur combines cutting-edge science with cultural storytelling. It also demonstrates how modern technology is transforming palaeontology. Most importantly, it reminds us that even well-studied regions can still yield exciting new dinosaur discoveries.”

Everything Dinosaur acknowledges the assistance of a media release from the University of Texas at Austin in the compilation of this article.

The scientific paper: “A new dinosaur species from Korea and its implications for early-diverging neornithischian diversity” by Jongyun Jung, Minguk Kim, Hyemin Jo and Julia A. Clarke published in the Fossil Record.

The award-winning Everything Dinosaur website: Dinosaur and Prehistoric Animal Models.

Oviraptorosaurs were not just unusual theropod dinosaurs. They were also closely related to true birds, sharing a common evolutionary heritage within the Maniraptora clade. As a result, many of their behaviours provide important clues about how modern avian reproduction evolved. A fascinating new study on oviraptorosaurian incubation has been published in the journal “Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution”.  The research outlines how these extremely bird-like theropods brooded their eggs. Moreover, it challenges long-held assumptions about how efficiently they incubated their clutches.

An Oviraptor and its nest.  Palaeontologists study oviraptorosaurian dinosaurs to better understand the evolutionary roots of bird-specific reproductive characteristics. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Previous studies have highlighted this close avian relationship. In particular, palaeontologists have noted that some bird-specific reproductive traits may have deeper evolutionary roots. One such trait is thermoregulatory contact incubation (TCI). This behaviour, seen in modern birds, involves direct body contact between the adult and the eggs to regulate temperature.

The study focused on the Chinese oviraptorosaurian Heyuannia huangi.

To read an earlier study that examined the colouration of oviraptorosaurian eggs: Dinosaurs May Have Laid Coloured Eggs.

Thermoregulatory Contact Incubation (TCI)

Fossil evidence strongly supports this connection. Several oviraptorid specimens have been discovered preserved on top of their nests. Strikingly, these individuals adopt postures that closely resemble avian brooding behaviour. Their forelimbs are spread over the clutch, much like a bird sheltering its eggs.  Therefore, it has been proposed that oviraptorosaurs may have undertaken a form of contact incubation similar to that of modern birds. However, as this new study demonstrates, the reality was likely more complex.

Scale drawing of the oviraptorosaurian Oviraptor philoceratops. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Specifically, the study explores how nest structure, egg arrangement, and body contact influenced embryo development. As a result, it paints a more complex picture of dinosaur reproduction than previously thought. For example, this new research reveals an important limitation. The scientists found that adult oviraptorosaurs likely could not directly warm all their eggs. Their nests typically consisted of multiple concentric rings of eggs. While the adult could cover the outer ring, the inner eggs remained partially insulated from body heat. Consequently, incubation efficiency was estimated at only around 65%, significantly lower than that seen in most modern birds.

Because of this limitation, the researchers propose a hybrid incubation strategy. In other words, oviraptorosaurs likely relied on both body heat and environmental warmth.

For example, sunlight may have warmed exposed portions of the nest. At the same time, partially buried eggs could retain heat from the surrounding sediment. Therefore, incubation was not solely dependent on the parent’s body temperature.

A Transitional Evolutionary Strategy

This mixed approach resembles strategies seen in some modern reptiles and ground-nesting birds. However, it also suggests a unique evolutionary stage between reptilian and fully avian reproduction. One key implication of this nesting strategy involves temperature variation within the clutch. Because inner and outer eggs received different amounts of heat, they likely developed at different rates. As a result, asynchronous hatching may have occurred. This means some chicks hatched earlier than others within the same nest.

In modern ecosystems, asynchronous hatching can influence survival. For instance, earlier hatchlings may gain a size advantage. However, in oviraptorosaurs, the exact biological impact remains uncertain.

Nevertheless, this study highlights how even subtle differences in nest structure could shape reproductive success.

Oviraptorosaurian Incubation and the Implications for Sex Determination

An especially intriguing section of the paper (4.3.5) examines the oviraptorid sex determination system. In modern birds, sex is determined genetically using Z and W chromosomes. Temperature does not influence whether an embryo becomes male or female. By contrast, many reptiles exhibit temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD), where incubation temperature plays a crucial role.

So, how does oviraptorosaurian incubation influence sex? The research team discusses the possibility that oviraptorids retained a genetic sex determination system, similar to birds. However, the authors also consider whether temperature variation within nests could still have influenced development in subtle ways. Importantly, there is no direct evidence that oviraptorosaurs used TSD like crocodilians or turtles. That said, the uneven incubation conditions identified in this study raise interesting questions.

For example, if temperature gradients existed across the nest, could they have affected growth rates, hatch timing, or even sex ratios? At present, this remains speculative.

Therefore, the safest conclusion is that oviraptorosaurs were likely genetically sex-determined, but their complex nesting environments may still have had biological consequences.

Combining Avian and Reptilian Traits When it Comes to Oviraptorosaurian Incubation

The researchers postulate that oviraptorosaurians occupied an evolutionary middle ground. They displayed clear bird-like behaviours, such as brooding posture and nest care. Yet, their incubation system was not as efficient as that of modern birds.

Instead, they appear to have combined avian and reptilian traits. On the one hand, they guarded and brooded their nests. On the other, they relied partly on environmental heat. Consequently, oviraptorosaurs provide a valuable window into the evolution of reproductive strategies among theropod dinosaurs.

Conclusions

This new study adds an important layer of detail to our understanding of dinosaur reproduction. It shows that brooding behaviour alone does not guarantee efficient incubation. More importantly, it highlights how nest design, temperature variation, and developmental biology all interact. Together, these factors shaped the survival of the next generation.

As more research emerges, we can expect even deeper insights into how these remarkable dinosaurs lived and reproduced.

The scientific paper: “Heat transfer in a realistic clutch reveals a lower efficiency in incubation of oviraptorid dinosaurs than of modern birds” by Chun-Yu Su, Jun-Yang Liao, Hsiao-Jou Wu, Kuan-Yu Chou, Ching Chen, Ming-Tsang Lee and Tzu-Ruei Yang published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution.

The multi-award-winning Everything Dinosaur website: Oviraptorosaurian and Other Dinosaur Models.

A single fossilised bone can change everything. In this case, it might reshape the story of the most famous dinosaur of all time — Tyrannosaurus rex. A new study published in the journal “Scientific Reports” describes a massive tyrannosaur leg bone discovered in New Mexico. At first glance, it looks like just another theropod fossil. However, the implications run much deeper. Researchers report the discovery of a giant fossil tyrannosaur tibia.

The Hunter Wash tyrannosaurid left tibia (NMMNH P-25085) in A, anterior, B, posterior, C, lateral, and D, medial views. Abbreviations: as, astragalus; cc, cnemial crest; fc, fibular crest; fi, fibular facet; lc, lateral condyle; mc, medial condyle. Picture credit: Nicholas R. Longrich et al.

Picture credit: Nicholas R. Longrich et al (Scientific Reports) – Open Access Paper – Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

A Giant Fossil Tyrannosaur Tibia from 74 Million Years Ago

The fossil comes from the Kirtland Formation in New Mexico. It dates to around seventy-four million years ago, (Campanian faunal stage of the Late Cretaceous).  The paper’s authors are from the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science (Albuquerque), Montana State University and the University of Bath. They identified a tibia (lower leg bone), it measures nearly a metre in length (96 cm long and 12.8 cm in diameter).  It is a massive tibia, 84% and 78% the dimensions of the largest known Tyrannosaurus tibia. The scientists propose the existence of a five-tonne predator, an animal that would have been far larger than contemporary tyrannosaurs.  This suggests that giant tyrannosaurs evolved earlier than previously thought.

Which Taxon?

The research team compared the fossil leg bone to a large dataset of tyrannosaur anatomy. They analysed over five hundred traits to determine its evolutionary position. Their conclusion is striking. This animal likely belongs to the tribe Tyrannosaurini — the lineage that includes the famous Tyrannosaurus rex.

The fossil from the Hunter Wash Member of the Kirtland Formation (New Mexico) could represent:

• A giant specimen of the tyrannosaur Bistahieversor sealeyi.
• A previously unknown lineage of giant tyrannosaur.
• Or an early representative of the Tyrannosaurini.

Introduced in 2014, a model of the tyrannosaur from southern Laramidia (New Mexico) – Bistahieversor sealeyi.

The image (above) shows a model of the tyrannosaur Bistahieversor (B. sealeyi) from CollectA.

To view the range of not-to-scale CollectA figures in stock: CollectA Prehistoric Life Figures.

The Geographic Origins of Tyrannosaurus

The appearance of a large, derived tyrannosaurine in the late Campanian of the American Southwest also has implications for the geographic origin of Tyrannosaurus. Palaeontologists have debated where the lineage that led to T. rex evolved. Some argued for an Asian origin. Others pointed to North America. However, any theory proposed now needs to consider the presence of large tyrannosaurs in southern Laramidia.

The massive tyrannosaur tibia highlights the differences between the faunas of northern and southern Laramidia.  For example, in those geological formations representing northern Laramidia, slightly smaller tyrannosaurs are found – Gorgosaurus, Daspletosaurus and Teratophoneus. Meanwhile, larger tyrannosaurs may have been present in the southern part of this landmass.

Intriguingly, the Hunter Wash Member hints at previously unrecognized diversity among southern tyrannosaurs, with Bistahieversor coexisting with a larger and more robust tyrannosaur species represented by this fossil tibia. A small tyrannosaur, (specimen number NMMNH P-27469), has previously been identified as a juvenile of Bistahieversor. However, it shows features seen in Nanotyrannus. Therefore, a much smaller, gracile form of tyrannosaur similar to Nanotyrannus could have been coeval with Bistahieversor and a much larger tyrannosaur.

To read Everything Dinosaur’s blog post about confirmation of the Nanotyrannus taxon: Nanotyrannus – A New Chapter in Tyrannosaur Evolution.

The scientific paper: “A large tyrannosaurid from the Late Cretaceous (Campanian) of North America” by Nicholas R. Longrich, Sebastian Dalman, Spencer G. Lucas and Anthony R. Fiorillo published in Scientific Reports.

The award-winning Everything Dinosaur website: Prehistoric Animal Toys and Models.

Recently published research reveals Triceratops possessed a surprisingly complex nose.  Famed for its huge size and impressive horns, “three horned face” had specialised structures that helped regulate heat and conserve moisture.  The Triceratops nasal cavity study has been published in the journal “The Anatomical Record.” Triceratops is one of the most recognisable dinosaurs ever discovered. It lived during the Late Cretaceous in North America, and two species have been named.  This ceratopsian regularly tops our dinosaur popularity polls.  Fossils of Triceratops are on display in museums all over the world.  However, this new research demonstrates that there is still much to learn about this dinosaur.

A Triceratops dinosaur poster. This Late Cretaceous dinosaur is one of the most easily recognisable of all the dinosaurs. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Investigating the Triceratops Nasal Cavity

The new study suggests the Triceratops nasal cavity was far more complex than previously thought. Scientists now think its enormous snout housed specialised tissues linked to breathing, moisture regulation and temperature control. Researchers examined several fossil skulls of Triceratops and other horned dinosaurs. First, they used CT scans to look inside the bones. Next, they created sophisticated 3D computer models of the nasal region. The team then compared these fossils with the noses of extant reptiles, birds and crocodilians. Extant phylogenetic bracketing was employed to model the probable soft tissues associated with the nasal region.

As a result, the researchers produced the first comprehensive hypothesis for the soft tissues inside the ceratopsid snout.

A cast of a Triceratops skeleton on display at the Naturmuseum Senckenberg (Natural History Museum – Frankfurt). On the left a wall mounted example of a Plateosaurus can be seen. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Nerves, Blood Vessels and Nasal Glands

The results suggest the Triceratops nasal cavity contained an intricate network of nerves and blood vessels. In addition, the scientists identified pathways for neurovascular structures within the narial region. They also inferred the locations of a nasal gland and a nasolacrimal duct. Interestingly, the pattern of nerve supply in ceratopsids appears unique among reptiles. Researchers suggest this unusual arrangement evolved as the nostril openings became larger during ceratopsian evolution. Therefore, the enlarged snout of Triceratops likely supported more than just breathing.

Acquisition of such a structure might have mitigated a thermal problem associated with the large size of the ceratopsid head. After all ceratopsians such as Pentaceratops, Torosaurus and Triceratops are famed for their super-sized skulls.

Two spectacular Haolonggood horned dinosaur models. The two Triceratops figures (Qin Ming and Hu Yan Zhuo). Triceratops is represented by dozens of dinosaur models. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The picture (above) shows two recent Triceratops figures produced by Haolonggood.  Collectors and dinosaur fans have dozens of Triceratops figures to choose from; this horned dinosaur is extremely popular.

To view the Haolonggood range of prehistoric animal figures: Haolonggood Dinosaur Models.

Evidence for Respiratory Turbinates

The study also suggests the presence of respiratory turbinates in ceratopsid dinosaurs. Respiratory turbinates are delicate, curled structures found inside the noses of birds and mammals today. They help warm and moisten incoming air. In addition, they reduce water loss when animals breathe out. The researchers identified an osteological correlate that suggests these structures may have existed in ceratopsids. If correct, this would represent the first evidence for respiratory turbinates in these dinosaurs.

Cooling a Horned Giant

Respiratory turbinates may have played another important role. In living animals, these structures can help regulate body temperature. This function may have been especially useful for Triceratops. The dinosaur possessed a very large skull, which could potentially trap heat in warm environments. Blood vessels within the nasal tissues may have helped cool the head as air passed through the nose. Consequently, the nasal cavity may have helped prevent overheating in such a large animal.

The magnificent Triceratops skull on display in the “Dinosaurs! Age of the Giant Lizards” gallery at the Berlin Naturkundemuseum. Picture credit: Lukasz Papierak.

Picture credit: Lukasz Papierak

The horns and frill of Triceratops often attract the most attention. Yet this new research highlights another remarkable feature. The Triceratops nasal cavity appears to have been a complex biological system. It likely supported breathing, moisture balance and temperature control. As a result, this famous dinosaur’s impressive snout was not just for show. Instead, it helped the animal maintain stable internal conditions in the Late Cretaceous world.

The scientific paper: “Nasal soft-tissue anatomy of Triceratops and other horned dinosaurs” by Seishiro Tada, Takanobu Tsuihiji, Hiroki Ishikawa, Noriyuki Wakimizu, Soichiro Kawabe and Kodai Sakane published in The Anatomical Record.

The award-winning Everything Dinosaur website: Triceratops Models.