What is a genome assembly?

A reconstructed sequence built by stitching together many short DNA reads. Different assemblies of the same species can differ in completeness and accuracy.

What do the divisions mean?

Ensembl groups species into portals such as plants, fungi, metazoa, bacteria and protists. They reflect how the project grew and are practical groupings rather than a formal taxonomy.

Does the list include every sequenced species?

No. It covers genomes that Ensembl has annotated and released, while other sequenced genomes may be held only in other databases such as NCBI’s.

Genome Catalogue Screensaver

The Genome Catalogue screensaver shows every species with an assembled, annotated genome in Ensembl, read key-less from its own REST API — a running census of which branches of life have actually been sequenced. It's free, runs in your browser, and ESC exits.

How the Genome Catalogue screensaver works

The saver reads the Ensembl REST API directly in your browser — no key and no account.

Every species with an assembled, annotated genome in Ensembl, read key-less from its own REST API — a running census of which branches of life have actually been sequenced..

It refreshes on a schedule, so what you see stays current.

Colours can be changed in settings; nothing is stored beyond your own browser.

Ensembl and the genomes behind the list

Ensembl is a genome browser and annotation resource run by a team of over 70 people at EMBL-EBI, the European Bioinformatics Institute, on the Wellcome Genome Campus in Hinxton near Cambridge, UK. It automatically annotates genomes, integrates that annotation with other biological data and publishes it on the web, alongside comparative genomics, variation and regulatory data. A species appears on this list only when it has an assembled, annotated genome in Ensembl.

The entries show a scientific name, a common name where one exists, the assembly name and an accession. An assembly is a reconstructed version of a genome, and organisms can be reassembled later at higher quality, so the assembly label identifies one particular build. Ensembl Genomes was launched in 2009 with portals for plants, fungi, invertebrate metazoa, bacteria and protists, which reflects how the project grew beyond its original focus.

The list is a census of sequencing and annotation effort, not of life. Many species on Earth have never been sequenced, and the quality of assemblies varies: some are near-complete chromosomes, others are fragmented drafts.

A worked example

Every species with an assembled, annotated genome in Ensembl, read key-less from its own REST API — a running census of which branches of life have actually been sequenced.

Settings & tips

Accent and Background recolour the display.
Data comes straight from the Ensembl REST API in your browser.
Press ESC to leave fullscreen.

Frequently asked questions

Is this real data?: Yes — it comes from the Ensembl REST API and is refreshed on a schedule.
Is a key needed?: No. This source is fully key-less.
Is it free?: Yes — free, no download, in your browser.
What is a genome assembly?: A reconstructed sequence built by stitching together many short DNA reads. Different assemblies of the same species can differ in completeness and accuracy.
What do the divisions mean?: Ensembl groups species into portals such as plants, fungi, metazoa, bacteria and protists. They reflect how the project grew and are practical groupings rather than a formal taxonomy.
Does the list include every sequenced species?: No. It covers genomes that Ensembl has annotated and released, while other sequenced genomes may be held only in other databases such as NCBI’s.

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