Animal Cells and “Guinea Pigs”
21
EXPLANATION
The colorless fat cells are large round or
oval shapes packed together in groups.
They are almost completely filled with
a droplet of oil — making them pure
energy stores. It’s a completely
different story with the muscle cells
from the meat. They are striped,
elongated structures that are hardly
recognizable as cells. When you raise
your arm, each one of these
individual muscle cells will shorten,
an action that draws on the energy
stored in the droplets of oil inside
the fat cells!
There are dozens of different types
of cell in our bodies, such as skin,
bone, blood, and nerve cells. Each
one of these cell types has its own
special work to do, and each
looks different from the others!
muscle fibers
Fat cells in the skin
DNA sample
DID YOU KNOW ?
All plant and animal cells have a
cell nucleus that contains the
genetic information (DNA). Unlike
animal cells, however, plant cells
have a solid cell wall for support.
In simple terms, you might say that
animal cells don’t need this kind of
support because that job is handled
by the skeleton or shell. Animal
cells come in various shapes and
colors, depending on the job they
perform in the body.
