Explore the parts of animal and plant cells, then watch a cell divide. Drag the slider to move through mitosis and meiosis one stage at a time and see what happens to the chromosomes.
Loading the cell explorer...
Take the tour of an animal cell, a plant cell, or the protein factory. Click any organelle to learn its job, then use Test yourself with the labels hidden.
The animation plays by itself. Pause it, or drag the slider to stop at any moment. Switch to a plant cell to see a cell plate instead of a cleavage furrow.
Watch homologous chromosomes pair, swap pieces (crossing over) and separate, giving four different cells with half the chromosomes.
| Feature | Animal cell | Plant cell |
|---|---|---|
| Cell wall | Absent | Present (cellulose) |
| Shape | Usually round or irregular | Fixed, often rectangular |
| Chloroplasts | Absent | Present in green parts |
| Vacuole | Small, temporary | One large permanent central vacuole |
| Centrioles | Present | Absent |
| Stored food | Glycogen | Starch |
| Cytokinesis | Cleavage furrow pinches the cell | Cell plate forms a new wall |
| Mitosis | Meiosis | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Body (somatic) cells: growth, repair, replacement | Reproductive organs: making gametes (sperm and eggs) |
| Divisions | One | Two (meiosis I and II) |
| Daughter cells | 2 | 4 |
| Chromosome number | Stays the same (diploid, 2n) | Halved (haploid, n) |
| Genetic make-up | Identical to the parent cell | Different from each other and from the parent |
| Pairing of homologous chromosomes | No | Yes, with crossing over in prophase I |
| Purpose | Growth and repair; asexual reproduction | Sexual reproduction and variation |
Test yourself with chapter-wise MCQs and explanations:
These are simplified diagrams for learning, using a cell with only four chromosomes (2n = 4). A human body cell has 46 chromosomes. Works offline: after your first visit the simulator is saved in your browser.