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Aardvark Gets a New Chromosome-level Reference Genome

Aardvark standing in the entrance of a burrow
Research · Genetics & genomics

A new chromosome-level reference genome for the aardvark (Orycteropus afer) was released through the Vertebrate Genomes Project in January 2026. The resource provides two haplotype-resolved genome assemblies from the same male individual and is far more continuous than older aardvark genome resources. Here, haplotype-resolved means that the two chromosome sets were assembled separately rather than collapsed into a single consensus, preserving differences between them.

The sample was coordinated by the Wildlife Conservation Society from a male aardvark at the Bronx Zoo and sequenced by the Vertebrate Genome Laboratory at Rockefeller University. The project combined long, high-accuracy DNA reads with Hi-C data, which helps place sequence fragments into their chromosome-level positions.

The two haplotype assemblies span about 4.71 and 4.29 billion base pairs and were released at chromosome level on 23 January 2026. Older aardvark genomes were still divided into large sequence scaffolds rather than assembled at chromosome level. The new reference therefore gives researchers a much more continuous framework for studying how the aardvark genome is organised and comparing it with other mammals. That is especially useful for a species that is the only living member of the order Tubulidentata.

Sources and image credit

  1. National Center for Biotechnology Information. (2026). Orycteropus afer (aardvark) genome, mOryAfe1 [BioProject PRJNA1413393].Primary public genome project registered 23 January 2026. The sample came from a male aardvark at the Bronx Zoo and was coordinated by the Wildlife Conservation Society for a high-quality Vertebrate Genomes Project reference genome.
  2. Vertebrate Genomes Project / GenArk. (2026). Orycteropus afer — mOryAfe1.hap1, GCA_054668785.1.Chromosome-level haplotype 1 released 23 January 2026; total length 4.714 Gb and scaffold N50 655.4 Mb.
  3. Vertebrate Genomes Project / GenArk. (2026). Orycteropus afer — mOryAfe1.hap2, GCA_054668755.1.Chromosome-level haplotype 2 released 23 January 2026; total length 4.293 Gb and scaffold N50 643.8 Mb.

Image: Louise Joubert / Wikimedia Commons — aardvark in a burrow at SanWild Wildlife Sanctuary, South Africa; representative species image, not the male used for the 2026 reference genome · CC BY-SA 3.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ · Source

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