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Three Prokaryotic Cell Shapes

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State

Prokaryotic cells fall into three basic shapes: cocci, which are spherical; bacilli, which are rod-shaped; and spirilli, which are spiral-shaped.

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Streptococcus forms chains of cocci, and Spirillum volutans shows the true corkscrew spiral; Vibrio cholerae's curved rod shows the three shapes aren't exhaustive.

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Shape alone does not sort prokaryotes into Bacteria or Archaea— both domains include cocci, bacilli, and spirilli forms.