Bacteria come in many shapes-round, rod, comma, spiral and even square! When in multiple linked colonies they can also take up a variety of shapes.Typically these can be clusters, chains, cubic packets, squares and grape-like bunched clusters. 1999 The Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis. Bacteria come in many shapes-round, rod, comma, spiral and even square! When in multiple linked colonies they can also take up a variety of shapes. Typically these can be clusters, chains, cubic packets, squares and grape-like bunched clusters.