top of page
Phylum:
Chordata
Estimated genome size:
3 – 4 meters
Organism size:
3 – 4 meters
Distribution:
Angola, Botswana, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe.
PromethION Sequencing Report:
Output:
110.47 Gigabases
Approximate N50:
8.38 kilobases
Draft Genome Assembly Statistics:
Genome Length:
3.16 Gigabases
BUSCO completeness score (single and duplicated genes):
98.8% [S: 82.7%, D: 15.3%]
Importance:
African savanna elephants are the largest land animals and crucial ecosystem engineers. Listed as endangered by the IUCN Red list, they are vital for South African tourism. This project aims to sequence the genome of a wild bull elephant from a native KZN population, providing valuable genetic data beyond existing zoo based or outdated sequences.
Sample Contributor contact details
Dr Carel J. Oosthuizen
University of Pretoria
Phylum:
Magnoliophyta
Estimated genome size:
739 million DNA base pairs (0.74 Gigabases)
Organism size:
Up to 8 meters in height
Distribution:
The mountain strelitzia occurs from the Chimanimani Mountains in Zimbabwe, through Mozambique, the Northern Provinces of South Africa and Eswatini. It grows inland, preferring wetter habitats like Afromontane forests.
PromethION Sequencing Report:
Output:
47.59 Gigabases
Approximate N50:
9.11 kilobases
Draft Genome Assembly Statistics:
Genome Length:
586.36 million bases (0.59 Gigabases)
BUSCO completeness score (single and duplicated genes):
98.9% [S: 56.5%, D: 42.4%]
Strelitzia caudata
Mountain strelitzia
.jpg)
Importance:
The mountain strelitzia or wild banana is an impressive banana-like plant. It has unique white flowers with a pink tinge emerging from a purple spathe (sheath). It is one of three large Strelitzia species, alongside Strelitzia alba and Strelitzia nicolai, which are often confused.
Sample Contributor contact details
Prof. Eshchar Mizrachi
University of Pretoria
Date Published
2025-02-17
Photo credit:
© G.J. Mann
bottom of page