vs pinguim-imperador

Clostridium tertium compared with Aptenodytes forsteri

Key Differences

is Not Evaluated while pinguim-imperador is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank		pinguim-imperador
Kingdom	Bacteria (Bacteria)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Firmicutes_A	Chordata (cordados)
Class	Clostridia (Clostridia)	Aves (ave)
Order	Clostridiales (Clostridiales)	Sphenisciformes (Penguins)
Family	Clostridiaceae	Spheniscidae (Penguins)
Genus	Clostridium	Aptenodytes (Great Penguins)
Species	Clostridium tertium	Aptenodytes forsteri

Conservation Status

NE — Not Evaluated

pinguim-imperador

NT — Near Threatened

Population: ~595.0K

Trend: Stable →

Physical Characteristics

Attribute		pinguim-imperador
Diet	—	Carnivore
Average Lifespan	—	20 years
Average Length	—	1.1 m
Average Weight	—	40.0 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Habitat

Native to Asia, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found in Taiwan.

pinguim-imperador

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and boreal forests and taiga, among 4 distinct biome types within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Found in Norway. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

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.

pinguim-imperador

O maior pinguim do mundo, os pinguins-imperadores medem até 1,2 metro de altura e pesam 45 kg, habitando o continente antártico em algumas das condições mais extremas da Terra. Reproduzem-se no meio do inverno, na escuridão, a temperaturas abaixo de -60°C, com os machos incubando ovos únicos sobre os pés sob uma bolsa de criação por 65 dias enquanto as fêmeas estão no mar. Seu comportamento de aglomeração — onde os indivíduos revezam-se pelo centro quente de grupos de milhares — é uma obra-prima de sobrevivência cooperativa.