Human Body Adventure

» Current Location: Muscles

Go in a layer to the internal organs

Go back a layer to the skin

You can perform great tricks with a little practice. Try the Muscles Self-Quiz

You are already at the second layer - muscles!

What is important to know about muscles?

Muscle contracts to move bones and body parts
Muscles look either striated or smooth:
- Striated muscle has stripes or striations in it.
- Smooth muscle does not.

Also, muscles are labeled as either voluntary or involuntary.
- Voluntary muscles are muscles that you can move whenever you want to.
- Involuntary muscles contract and relax automatically inside your body. We can not control our involuntary muscles.

The Three Types of Muscles
Type of Muscle	Smooth Muscle	Cardiac Muscle	Skeletal Muscle
Appearance	Smooth	Striated	Striated
Voluntary or Involuntary	Involuntary	Involuntary	Voluntary
Function	Controls movement of internal organs.	Controls contractions of the heart.	Moves bones. Skeletal muscles work in pairs. When one contracts, the other relaxes. They are attached to bone by bands of tissue called tendons.