Compare the Cells
What do animal, plant, and human cells, and bacteria, have in common? What makes each one special?
Human cell
Human cells are animal cells. People are animals, so your cells have the same parts as a dog's or a fish's. They just come in lots of shapes for different jobs.
Plant cell
Plant cells have 3 extras: a stiff cell wall, a big water tank, and green chloroplasts that make food from sunlight.
One-cell living thing
Bacteria are the simplest. A whole living thing in one tiny cell, with no nucleus at all.
The big chart
Swipe sideways to see every column →
| Part or fact |  Animal cells |  Plant cells |  Human cells |  Bacteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cell membrane (the gate) | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Nucleus (the boss) | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ YesExcept grown-up red blood cells! | ✗ NoDNA floats loose |
| Cytoplasm (the jelly) | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Mitochondria (power plants) | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes | ✓ YesExcept red blood cells | ✗ No |
| Cell wall (stiff box) | ✗ No | ✓ Yes | ✗ No | ✓ Yes |
| Big water tank (vacuole) | ✗ No | ✓ Yes | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Chloroplasts (solar panels) | ✗ No | ✓ Yes | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Shape | Roundish and soft | Boxy and stiff | Lots of shapes: discs, trees, threads, flat flakes | Rods, balls, or spirals |
| Makes its own food? | No, it gets food from eating | Yes, from sunlight! | No, it gets food from eating | Some do, most don't |
| Size | Tiny | Tiny (often a bit bigger than animal cells) | Tiny | About 10 times smaller than your cells! |
| Examples | Dogs, fish, birds, bugs | Trees, grass, flowers | Red blood, nerve, muscle, skin, and bone cells | Yogurt helpers, tummy helpers, some germs |