he complete mitochondrial genome and gene features of Orinoco Crocodile (Crocodylus intermedius)

he complete mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) of the Orinoco Crocodile (Crocodylus intermedius) was sequenced in our study in order to examine its genome structure. The size of the molecule is 16,828 nucleotides, encodes 22 tRNAs, 13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNAs, and a control region (D-loop). The organization of the new mt genome is consistent with other crocodilians that have been published so far. They all show the rearrangement of two tRNA genes (tRNAPhe and tRNASer(AGY)) which is different from typical vertebrates structure. It reveals that the gene order of crocodilians is remarkably conserved.