Limulus polyphemus, the Atlantic horseshoe crab, is a marine arthropod considered a “living fossil” extending back approximately 450 million years. The blood color is blue due to the presence of hemocyanin and contains amoebocytes, used to detect toxins. Its genome presents specific duplications of genes related to innate immunity. https://doi.org/10.1186/2047-217X-3-9, 05/14/2014 Author: Guillem Dachs Margarit
Kingdom: Metazoa
Clown anemonefish
The false clownfish, Amphiprion ocellaris, is a popular fish species and an emerging model organism for studying the ecology, evolution, adaptation, and developmental biology of reef fishes. The false clownfish, Amphiprion ocellaris, shows different agonistic behaviours, defined as an individual’s aggressive behavior towards a conspecific, living with different host anemones. Juvenile fish were exposed to…
Wasp spider
The wasp spider is a large orb-weaving spider with striking colors, freaturing black and white bands on a yellow abdomen. Females are much larger than males. It is commonly found in meadows, fields and along roadsides throughout Europe. It builds large circular webs that include a zig-zag shaped band called stabilimentum, whose function is still…
Blue whale
Balaenoptera musculus, the blue whale, is the largest animal known to have ever existed. Its genome sequencing aids in understanding marine mammal biology, longevity, and resistance to cancer. 10.1093/molbev/msae036 (Feb 20, 2024) Authors: Berta Poch Ordoñez, Cynthia Ramírez Arias, Daniel Robledillo Manotas, Gracia del Pilar Sánchez López
California two-spot octopus
The octopus nervous system is very different in size and organization in comparison to that of other molluscs, and it contains more than 6 times the number of neurons in a mouse brain. Coleoid cephalopods like the octopus show extraordinarily sophisticated behaviours including complex problem solving, task-dependent conditional discrimination, observational learning and spectacular displays of…
Western gorilla
Western gorilla (Gorilla gorilla) is a species of primate in the family Hominidae (great apes). The reference sequence is from the fibroblast of a male and mature gorilla. The size of the genome is of 3500 Mb, the number of coding genes are 22365 and they have 24 chromosomes. The article where the genome of…
Yellow fever mosquito
Aedes aegypti, the yellow fever mosquito, is a vector for several viral diseases, including yellow fever. Its genome is approximately 1.38 Gb in size, with around 15,000 genes. This improved reference genome provides valuable insights into its biology and can inform strategies for controlling arbovirus transmission. Author: Manel Gómez García
Indian cobra
Naja naja, the Indian cobra, is a venomous snake species found in South Asia. Its genome sequencing aids in understanding venom composition and evolution, as well as developing antivenom treatments. 10.1038/s41588-019-0559-8 (Jan 6, 2020)
Arctic fox
Vulpes lagopus, the Arctic fox, is a small fox species adapted to cold environments. Its genome sequencing aids in understanding fox genetics, adaptation to Arctic climates, and evolution. 10.1111/1755-0998.13397 (Apr 21, 2021)
Common bottlenose dolphin
Tursiops truncatus, the bottlenose dolphin, is a highly intelligent marine mammal species. Its genome sequencing aids in understanding dolphin genetics, evolution, and adaptation to aquatic environments. 10.1038/nature10530 (Oct 12, 2011)