- Animals are multicellular organisms, and as such, their body is comprised of several cells (about trillions of cells). A group of cells performing a specific function is called a tissue. Animal cells in a tissue may be held through cell junctions, e.g. tight junctions, gap junctions, and desmosomes. The animal body has several types of cells. Examples of common animal cell types include skin cells, muscle cells, blood cells, fat cells, nerve cells, sex cells, and stem cells. Skin cells are cells that make up the skin or epithelial tissue. Muscle cells (also called myocytes) are cells that make up muscular tissue. Blood cells are the cellular elements of the blood. They are the red blood cells and white blood cells. Fat cells (also called adipocytes) are cells of the adipose tissue. Nerve cells (also called neurons) are cells of nervous tissue. Sex cells are cells involved in sexual reproduction. In males, the sperm cell is the mature and functional sex cell. In females, the egg cell is the sex cell. The sex cells are the only haploid cells. The rest of the animal cells are diploid and are referred to as somatic cells. Stem cells are totipotent, meaning they could develop into any type of animal cell.
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