Bare-bellied Hedgehog vs

Paraechinus nudiventris compared with Clostridium tertium

Key Differences

• Bare-bellied Hedgehog is Least Concern while is Not Evaluated.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bare-bellied Hedgehog
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Bacteria (Bacteria)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Firmicutes_A
Class	Mammalia (Mammals)	Clostridia (Clostridia)
Order	Erinaceomorpha (Erinaceomorpha)	Clostridiales (Clostridiales)
Family	Erinaceidae	Clostridiaceae
Genus	Paraechinus	Clostridium
Species	Paraechinus nudiventris	Clostridium tertium

Conservation Status

Bare-bellied Hedgehog

LC — Least Concern

NE — Not Evaluated

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bare-bellied Hedgehog
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bare-bellied Hedgehog

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Habitat

Native to Asia, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found in Taiwan.

Bare-bellied Hedgehog

The Bare-bellied Hedgehog (Paraechinus nudiventris) is a species in the genus Paraechinus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Clostridium tertium is an aerotolerant, endospore-forming bacterium in the family Clostridiaceae notable among clostridia for its ability to grow in the presence of atmospheric oxygen, despite being classified within the genus of strictly anaerobic organisms. Its relative aerotolerance distinguishes it from most genus members and contributes to its occasional isolation from clinical sources. C. tertium is considered an opportunistic pathogen, causing bacteremia primarily in immunocompromised patients including those undergoing chemotherapy, with neutropenia as a key risk factor. The bacterium has been isolated from soil, water, and the gastrointestinal tract of animals and humans. Despite causing bacteremia and occasionally more invasive infections, C. tertium does not produce recognized exotoxins comparable to the major histotoxic clostridia, and its pathogenic mechanisms involve host immune evasion rather than direct toxin-mediated tissue destruction. Clinically, C. tertium bacteremia carries significant mortality in neutropenic patients but responds to beta-lactam antibiotics unlike C. difficile or C. perfringens infections. Its natural aerotolerance makes it unusual within the Clostridium genus and raises evolutionary questions about the anaerobic ancestry of this lineage.