Cardiac, Skeletal, and Smooth Muscle

Muscle tissue is made of excitable cells that are capable of contraction. This tissue is the most abundant tissue in most animals.

Muscle tissue has numerous microfilaments composed of actin and myosin, which are contractile proteins. There are three major types of muscle tissue:

• Cardiac Muscle - found in the heart.
  
• Skeletal Muscle - attached to bones by tendons.
  
• Visceral (Smooth) Muscle - found in various parts of the body such as the arteries and many other organs.

Skeletal muscles are voluntary muscles because animals have control over their contraction. Visceral muscles are involuntary since, for the most part, they are not consciously controlled.

Learn more about muscles and tissues, visit Animal Tissues.