Cocci can grow in pairs, chains, or clusters, depending on their orientation and attachment during cell division. In contrast to many bacilli-shaped bacteria, most cocci bacteria do not have flagella and are non-motile.

What is the structure of cocci bacteria?

Generally, the bacterium has a spherical, round, or ovoid shape. Besides, bacteria are characterized on the basis of their shapes into three classes- Spirochetes (Spiral-shaped), Cocci (spherical-shaped), and bacillus (Rod-shaped) cells.

What is the difference between rods and cocci?

Bacteria exhibit a wide variety of shapes but the commonly studied species of bacteria are generally either spherical in shape which are called cocci (singular coccus) or have a cylindrical shape and are called rods or bacilli (singular bacillus). In reality rods and cocci are the ends of a continuum.