Pandoravirus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pandoravirus |
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| Pandoravirus compared to the Megavirus and Influenza viruses | |
| Virus classification | |
| Group: |
Group I (dsDNA)
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| Order: |
Megavirales
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| Family: |
Pandoraviridae
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| Genus: |
Pandoravirus
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| Species | |
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Pandoravirus is a type of very large virus. These viruses are special because they have the biggest genomes (their genetic instructions) of any known virus group. Like other giant viruses such as Mimivirus, Pithovirus, and Megavirus, Pandoraviruses infect tiny, single-celled creatures called amoebas.
The genetic material of a Pandoravirus is made of DNA. Its genome is huge, ranging from 1.9 to 2.5 million base pairs. To give you an idea, this is twice as large as the genome of Megavirus, another giant virus! Pandoraviruses also look very different from other large viruses and have a unique genome structure.
What Makes Pandoraviruses Unique?
Even though the outer shell (called a capsid) of Pithovirus is bigger, Pandoravirus holds the record for the largest viral genome. It has about 2.5 million base pairs of DNA.
Mysterious Genes
What's really interesting is that about 93% of the genes found in Pandoraviruses are completely new. Scientists haven't seen them in any other living things, not even in other microbes. This mystery has led some scientists to wonder if Pandoraviruses could belong to a "fourth domain" of life.
Normally, all life on Earth is grouped into three main domains: Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukaryotes (which include animals, plants, and fungi). Viruses are usually not considered part of these three domains because they need a host to reproduce. However, the unique nature of Pandoraviruses makes some biologists think about new ways to classify life.
Images for kids
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Learn more about Pandoravirus in Spanish!
