Reconstructed skeleton of extinct Dokdo sea lion goes on display in Seoul

A full-scale reconstruction of an extinct Dokdo sea lion’s skeleton went on public view at Seoul Station Monday through Oct. 25. The assembly uses 41 authentic bone fragments recovered on Ulleung Island in 2020, with missing parts recreated through 3D printing. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea jointly organized the exhibition. The frame will later move to the institute’s SeaQrium exhibition space in Seocheon from November through August next year.

Researchers recovered the 41 bone fragments from Gaejae Cave on Ulleung Island in September 2020.

Specialists used computed tomography scans and 3D modeling to study the surviving fragments before producing replicas of missing elements.

Researchers consulted anatomical data from the California sea lion, a closely related species in the Zalophus genus, for areas without physical bones.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature declared the Dokdo sea lion extinct in 1994.

The species formerly inhabited coastal regions across Korea, Japan and Russia, with Ulleung Island and Dokdo as its primary habitat and breeding grounds.

Published Oct 19, 2026 1:17 pm KST

A full-scale skeletal reconstruction of the extinct Dokdo sea lion on display at Seoul Station / Courtesy of Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries

A full-scale reconstruction of an extinct Dokdo sea lion’s skeleton went on public view at Seoul Station, Monday, offering a rare look at the physical structure of a marine mammal wiped out by overhunting in the 20th century.

The assembly relies on 41 authentic bone fragments recovered in 2020, with 3D-printed replicas filling in the missing pieces.

The exhibition is located on the second-floor concourse of Seoul Station, where it will run through Oct. 25. Jointly organized by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea, the display showcases how modern digital modeling can recreate lost biological specimens for public education.

The Dokdo sea lion once inhabited coastal regions across Korea, Japan and Russia, with Ulleung Island and Dokdo serving as its primary habitat and breeding grounds. However, intensive commercial hunting during the early 20th century rapidly depleted its numbers. In 1994, the International Union for Conservation of Nature officially declared the species extinct.

To construct the life-sized frame, researchers utilized 41 bone pieces recovered from Gaejae Cave on Ulleung Island in September 2020. Specialists performed computed tomography scans and 3D modeling on the surviving fragments before using 3D printing to replicate the missing elements. To complete areas where no physical bones remained, researchers analyzed anatomical data from the California sea lion, a closely related species within the same Zalophus genus.

The completed skeletal assembly is displayed alongside video documentation outlining the recovery of the remains and the step-by-step digital engineering process. Following its showcase at Seoul Station, the reconstructed frame will be transferred to the SeaQrium exhibition space at the National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea in Seocheon, where it will feature in a special exhibition from November through August next year.

“I hope that the skeletal reconstruction of the extinct Dokdo sea lion serves as an opportunity to reflect on the preciousness and value of our marine biological resources,” said Yoo Eun-won, director-general for marine policy at the oceans ministry. “We will continue to implement various policies for the systematic management and conservation of our marine biological resources going forward.”

For commuters at Seoul Station this week, the reconstructed frame offers a strictly physical record of the vanished species — an engineered assembly of bone and resin that documents the consequences of past overhunting.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.

一具已灭绝的独岛海狮骨骼的完整复原模型于周一至10月25日在首尔站向公众展出。该模型使用了2020年在郁陵岛发现的41块真实骨骼碎片，缺失的部分则通过3D打印技术进行重建。此次展览由韩国海洋水产部和韩国国立海洋生物多样性研究所联合举办。之后，该模型将于11月至明年8月移至该研究所位于瑞川的SeaQrium展览馆展出。

2020 年 9 月，研究人员在郁陵岛盖济洞中发现了 41 块骨骼碎片。

专家们利用计算机断层扫描和 3D 建模技术研究了幸存的碎片，然后制作了缺失部件的复制品。

研究人员参考了加州海狮（一种与海狮属密切相关的物种）的解剖学数据，以寻找没有实体骨骼的区域。

国际自然保护联盟于 1994 年宣布独岛海狮灭绝。

该物种曾栖息于韩国、日本和俄罗斯的沿海地区，其中郁陵岛和独岛是其主要栖息地和繁殖地。

发布于2026年10月19日下午1:17（韩国标准时间）

首尔站展出的已灭绝的独岛海狮全尺寸骨骼重建模型 / 图片由海洋水产部提供

周一，一具已灭绝的独岛海狮骨骼的完整复原模型在首尔站向公众展出，让人们得以一窥这种在 20 世纪因过度捕猎而灭绝的海洋哺乳动物的身体结构。

该组装体依靠 2020 年发现的 41 块真正的骨骼碎片，并用 3D 打印的复制品填补缺失的部分。

展览位于首尔站二楼大厅，将持续展出至10月25日。本次展览由韩国海洋水产部和韩国国家海洋生物多样性研究所联合举办，展示了现代数字建模技术如何用于公众教育，以重建已消失的生物标本。

独岛海狮曾广泛分布于韩国、日本和俄罗斯的沿海地区，郁陵岛和独岛是其主要栖息地和繁殖地。然而，20世纪初的大规模商业捕猎导致其数量迅速减少。1994年，国际自然保护联盟正式宣布该物种灭绝。

为了构建真人大小的骨架，研究人员使用了2020年9月在郁陵岛盖济洞中发现的41块骨骼碎片。专家们对现存的碎片进行了计算机断层扫描和三维建模，然后利用3D打印技术复制缺失的部分。为了弥补没有实物骨骼的区域，研究人员分析了加州海狮的解剖数据，加州海狮是与海狮同属海狮属（Zalophus）的近缘物种。

组装完成的骨骼模型将与记录遗骸打捞过程和逐步数字化工程制作过程的视频资料一同展出。在首尔站展出后，这具重建的骨架将被移至位于瑞川的韩国国立海洋生物多样性研究所的SeaQrium展览空间，并于今年11月至明年8月在此举办特别展览。

“我希望通过对已灭绝的独岛海狮进行骨骼重建，能够引发人们对海洋生物资源珍贵性和价值的思考，”海洋部海洋政策司司长柳恩元表示，“我们将继续推行各项政策，对海洋生物资源进行系统管理和保护。”

对于本周在首尔站通勤的乘客来说，重建的框架提供了一个关于已消失物种的纯粹的物理记录——一个由骨头和树脂组成的工程装置，记录了过去过度捕猎的后果。

本文由生成式人工智能协助发布，并由《韩国时报》编辑。