Specialized Animal Cells (Biology)

Nerve Cells:

specialized in carrying electrical signals around the body to control it

Adaptations:

-contain “branches” called dendrites which allows many more nerve connections to be made, aiding the travel of signals

-has long and short axon to help carry messages over long distances

-has a myelin sheath to insulate the axon and speed up signals

Sperm Cells:

specialized in swimming towards the egg cell during sex to fertilize it and begin pregnancy

Adaptations:

-has a long tail to aid with swimming

-head has an acrosome which contains enzymes to eat through the egg’s outer layer

-has a special nucleus called a haploid nucleus which contains half the number of chromosones (23)

-contains more mitochondria to generate more energy to aid in swimming

Muscle cells:

specialized in contracting to cause movement

Adaptations:

-contains more mitochondria in order to release energy to aid movement

-has protein filaments that allow the cell to contract and move