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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of a wild bull elephant from a native KZN population, providing valuable genetic data beyond existing zoo based or outdated sequences.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

Species Card Details

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

DOI

Photo credit:

© G.J. Mann

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