Extinct Dokdo sea lion skeleton reconstructed for Seoul display

Researchers in South Korea assembled a full skeleton of the extinct Dokdo sea lion and put it on display at Seoul Station on Monday.

The reconstruction combines 41 original bone fragments discovered in 2020 with 3D-printed copies of missing bones. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea collaborated on the exhibit, which aims to educate the public about the marine mammal hunted to extinction in the 20th century.

The Dokdo sea lion once lived along the coasts of Korea, Japan, and Russia, breeding mainly around Ulleung Island and Dokdo, a group of islets also claimed by Japan. Commercial hunting significantly reduced the population, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature declared the species extinct in 1994. The exhibition at Seoul Station will continue through October 25.