Orycteropus afer (aardvark) genome, mOryAfe1, sequence data
The aardvark (Orycteropus afer) is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native to Africa. The aardvark is the only living member of the genus Orycteropus, the family Orycteropodidae and the order Tubulidentata. It is found over much of the southern two-thirds of the African continent, avoiding areas that are mainly rocky. A nocturnal feeder, the aardvark subsists on ants and termites by using its sharp claws and powerful legs to dig the insects out of their hills (from Wikipedia entry). This sample was collected from a male individual at the Bronx Zoo in New York City. The sample was coordinated by the Wildlife Conservation Society to generate a high-quality reference genome for the Vertebrate Genomes Project (VGP). Sequencing and genome assembly were conducted at the Vertebrate Genome Lab (VGL) at the Rockefeller University, led by Erich D. Jarvis, Giulio Formenti, and Jennifer Balacco.