Genomic Structure and Demographic History of the Brown Fur Seal: From the Ice Age to Current Isolation

Flipper tissue samples were collected from 52 Cape fur seal (CFS, Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus) and 42 Australian fur seal (AFS, A. p. doriferus) pups between 1998-2019 at colonies in southern Africa and Australia (see Spanjaard et al., 2025/2026). Only pups younger than six months were sampled using non-destructive methods. DNA was extracted using a NucleoSpin Tissue Kit (Macherey-Nagel) and sequenced using a genotype-by-sequencing (GBS) approach using the PstI and MspI enzymes on an Illumina platform. Sequencing reads have been demultiplexed and two negative controls were included during extraction and sequencing (included in submission). This dataset supports analyses of population genomic structure, connectivity and demographic history in CFS and AFS populations.