Characterization by 16S rRNA Amplicon Sequencing across 21 Captive Mammalian Species in a Zoo Setting

This study profiles the gut microbiota composition of 21 mammalian species housed under human care in a zoological institution. A total of 54 fecal samples were collected from diverse species, including large carnivores (e.g., tiger, bear), herbivores (e.g., camel, alpaca, capybara, deer, kangaroo, goat, pony, donkey, zebra), and omnivores (e.g., raccoon, squirrel monkey), as well as small herbivores (e.g., rabbit). Genomic DNA was extracted using the TGuide S96 magnetic soil/fecal DNA kit (Tiangen, Beijing, China). The hypervariable V3-V4 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene was amplified with universal primers 338F and 806R, and sequenced on an Illumina NovaSeq 6000 platform with paired-end 2x250 bp chemistry. The dataset provides a comprehensive resource for investigating how host phylogeny, diet, and captive management shape the gut microbial communities across a broad taxonomic spectrum of mammals.