The Vertebrate Genomes Project aims to provide annotated reference genome sequences for all vertebrate species. The initial phase is targeting one species per order, although additional species may be sequenced from some orders. This study contains RNAseq data from both Ilumina and Pacific Biosciences platforms to support transcript and gene annotation of reference genomes obtained at the Sanger Institute for the Vertebrate Genomes Project. RNA extracts will be obtained from diverse tissues, with specific sources specified in the individual sample metadata. This data is part of a pre-publication release. For information on the proper use of pre-publication data shared by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute (including details of any publication moratoria), please see http://www.sanger.ac.uk/datasharing/