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Group:

Eudicot

Estimated genome size:

0.3 meters in height.

Size:

0.3 meters in height.

Distribution:

Found in grassland habitats across Southern Africa.

PromethION Sequencing Report:

Output:

122.04 Gigabases

Approximate N50:

9.24 kilobases

Draft Genome Assembly Statistics:

Genome Length:

2.75 Gigabases

BUSCO completeness score (single and duplicated genes):

99.6% [S: 60.8%, D: 38.8%]

Importance:

Some populations of this species in the Barberton region of South Africa have evolved the ability to hyperaccumulate nickel, making this species ideal for a comparative genomics approach to understand the evolution of this extreme phenotype.

Sample Contributor contact details:

Prof. Robert Ingle
University of Cape Town

Group:

Mammal

Genome size:

3 040 million DNA base pairs (3.04 Gigabases)

Size:

1.8 – 2.3 meter (length)

Distribution:

The Cape fur seal is found along the southern and southwestern coasts of Africa, ranging from Algoa Bay in the Indian Ocean (Eastern Cape, South Africa) through Namibia, up to Baia dos Tigres in southern Angola, along the Atlantic Ocean.

PromethION Sequencing Report:

Output:

80.12 Gigabases

Approximate N50:

5.99 thousand DNA bases (kilobases)

Assembly N50:

TBA

Contig number:

TBA

Draft Genome Assembly Statistics:

Assembler used:

TBA

Genome Length:

2.38 Gigabases

BUSCO completeness score (single and duplicated genes):

98.0% [S: 82.7%, D: 15.3%]

BUSCO database:

TBA

Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus

Cape Fur Seal

Species Card Details

Importance:

The Cape fur seal is a marine apex predator that plays a critical role in maintaining a healthy marine ecosystem. It feeds on fish such as sardines and pilchards and is therefore competition with local, economically important fisheries. In Namibia, annual sealing yields meat, blubber and fur, which are then sold commercially, further contributing to the species' economic importance.

Sample Contributor contact details:

Monica Mwale
South African National Biodiversity Institute

Date Published:

2025-02-17

Awaiting DOI

Photo credit:

© N. de Bruyn

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