• Question: Why doesn't animal cell have a cell wall ?

    Asked by courteney to Ed, Katie, Sam, Steve, Vera on 17 Jun 2011. This question was also asked by maggie246.
    • Photo: Ed Morrison

      Ed Morrison answered on 16 Jun 2011:

      I would guess it’s because animals are mobile and the cell wall makes plants rigid. Being rigid is good to protect you from the elements and water pressure, but it’s no good if you want to move around to find food and mates and so on.

    • Photo: Sam Tazzyman

      Sam Tazzyman answered on 16 Jun 2011:

      Great question! I don’t know, but Ed’s answer makes a lot of sense.

    • Photo: Vera Weisbecker

      Vera Weisbecker answered on 16 Jun 2011:

      Plants also keep their shape in a different way from animals. Their cells are pumped full of water so that each cell pushes against the cell wall. Imagine a balloon that is filled with water until it nearly bursts. This makes the balloon really stiff and rigid and it keeps its shape really well. Plant cell walls act like lots and lots of stacked mini-balloons that keep the plant in shape (which is also why plants lose some of their shape when they lose water – they wilt). Animals stay in shape differently – for example they often use larger structures such as skeletons or shells, rather than walls for individual cells.

    • Photo: Katie Marriott

      Katie Marriott answered on 16 Jun 2011:

      Ed and Vera have given good answer’s there! It’s probably because a planet doesn’t have to move and it is beneficial for it to have protection around it’s cells, whereas animals need to be more flexible.

    • Photo: Steven Daly

      Steven Daly answered on 17 Jun 2011:

      I agree with Vera and Ed, that is a very interesting question, I am going to read about this one I think.

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