PRJNA558634
Ancient bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) from Svalbard
The critically endangered Spitsbergen stock of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) has once been large with up to estimated 100,000 individuals. A recent stock size estimate that took into account combined helicopter- and ship-based line transect surveys was roughly 350 individuals (Vacquié-Garcia et al. 2017). Genetic diversity of the extant Spitsbergen stock is unknown. We present data for ten complete mitochondrial genomes of old bowhead whale samples from Svalbard (14C age estimate range: 215 – 8,885 years) obtained via NGS of total genomic DNA.Bones from the 10 bowhead whales included in this study were collected at Svalbard during 1976–1997 for the purpose of dating raised beaches (for details see Borge et al. 2007). The 14C age of the bones ranged from 225 to 8,885 years. Total genomic DNA was extracted as described by Borge et al. (2007). Preparation of paired-end libraries, and analysis on an Illumina HiSeq 2000 was outsourced to StarSEQ GmbH, Mainz, Germany.