vs Gorille de l'Ouest

Clostridium tertium compared with Gorilla gorilla

Key Differences

is Not Evaluated while Gorille de l'Ouest is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank		Gorille de l'Ouest
Kingdom	Bacteria (Bacteria)	Animalia (animal)
Phylum	Firmicutes_A	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Clostridia (Clostridia)	Mammalia (mammifères)
Order	Clostridiales (Clostridiales)	Primates (Primates)
Family	Clostridiaceae	Hominidae (Great Apes)
Genus	Clostridium	Gorilla (Gorillas)
Species	Clostridium tertium	Gorilla gorilla

Conservation Status

NE — Not Evaluated

Gorille de l'Ouest

CR — Critically Endangered

Population: ~100.0K

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute		Gorille de l'Ouest
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	40 years
Average Length	—	1.7 m
Average Weight	—	160.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Habitat

Native to Asia, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found in Taiwan.

Gorille de l'Ouest

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, and flooded grasslands and savannas, among 4 distinct biome types within the Afrotropic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Cameroon, Congo (Republic), Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

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.

Gorille de l'Ouest

The world's largest primate, western gorillas weigh up to 180 kg and inhabit the tropical and subtropical forests of equatorial Africa. Primarily herbivorous, living in family groups led by a silverback male who protects the troop and mediates social conflicts. Critically Endangered, with populations threatened by deforestation, poaching for bushmeat, and outbreaks of Ebola virus disease.