Animal Cell Diagram (Labeled)
A labelled diagram of an animal cell, with every organelle, what it does and how big it is.
What is an animal cell?
An animal cell is the basic building block of every animal, from a sponge to a human. Unlike a plant cell, it has no cell wall, so it is held together only by a thin, flexible membrane. That is why animal cells come in so many shapes: flat skin cells, long nerve cells and red blood cells squeezed into discs that fit through the narrowest capillaries.
Animal cells cannot make their own food. They take in glucose and oxygen from the blood, and their mitochondria release the energy by respiration. Cells that work hard, such as muscle and sperm cells, are packed with extra mitochondria for this reason.
Inside, the nucleus holds the DNA and sends instructions out to the ribosomes, which build proteins. The endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus fold, package and send those proteins where they are needed, and lysosomes break down worn-out parts so they can be recycled.
Animal cell organelles and their functions
| Organelle | What it does | Size |
|---|---|---|
| غشاء الخلية | غشاء رقيق ومرن حول الخلية. يتحكم في ما يدخل ويخرج: الطعام والأكسجين يدخلان، والنفايات تخرج. | about 8 nm thick |
| Nucleus | يحمل الحمض النووي، وهو التعليمات لبناء وتشغيل الخلية. هو يتحكم في ما تفعله الخلية من خلال تحديد أي من البروتينات سيتم تصنيعه. | about 6 µm across |
| Nucleolus | بقعة كثيفة داخل النواة حيث يتم تجميع الريبوسومات. | about 1–2 µm |
| ميتوكوندريوم | Releases energy from glucose by aerobic respiration (glucose + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water). Busy cells like muscle have thousands. | 1–2 µm long |
| Ribosomes | Tiny machines that read instructions copied from DNA and join amino acids together to make proteins. | about 25 nm |
| Rough endoplasmic reticulum | الأغشية المطوية المغطاة بالريبوسومات. البروتينات المُصنَّعة هنا تُطوى وتُرسل إلى جهاز غولجي. | spreads through the cell |
| Smooth endoplasmic reticulum | Tubes without ribosomes that make fats (lipids) and help break down poisons. | a network of tubes |
| جهاز جولجي | Stacks of flattened sacs that sort, package and label proteins, then send them off in small bubbles (vesicles). | about 1–3 µm |
| الليسوسوم | كيس من الإنزيمات الهاضمة يكسر الأجزاء البالية والأشياء التي ابتلعتها الخلية. | 0.1–1 µm |
| السنتروليوم | زوج من الأنابيب القصيرة يساعدان على سحب الكروموسومات بعيدًا عن بعضها عند انقسام الخلية. | about 0.5 µm long |
| سيتوبلازم | The jelly that fills the cell. Most of the cell’s chemical reactions happen here, and the organelles float in it. | fills the cell |
Animal cell vs plant cell
Both have a nucleus, cytoplasm, membrane, mitochondria and ribosomes. Only plant cells have a cell wall, chloroplasts and a large vacuole: compare them on the plant cell diagram, or see a quick overview on the cell diagram page.
Open the same animal cell in 3D below: spin it, slice it open and pull each organelle out on its own.
الأسئلة الشائعة
What are the parts of an animal cell?
Cell membrane, cytoplasm, nucleus (with a nucleolus), mitochondria, ribosomes, rough and smooth endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, lysosomes and centrioles.
What does an animal cell not have that a plant cell has?
No cell wall, no chloroplasts and no large permanent vacuole. That is why animal cells are rounder and softer, and cannot make their own food by photosynthesis.
What does an animal cell have that a plant cell usually doesn’t?
Centrioles (which help the cell divide) and lysosomes (bags of digestive enzymes).
How big is an animal cell?
Most are 10–30 micrometres across: about a tenth of the width of a human hair, so you need a microscope to see one.
