SKELETAL MUSCLE

Long, cylindrical, multinucleate cells; obvious striations

Function:
Voluntary movement; locomotion; manipulation of the environment; facial expressions; voluntary control

Location:
In skeletal muscles attached to bones or occasionally to skin

SMOOTH MUSCLE

Spindle-shaped cells with central nuclei; cells
arranged closely to form sheets; no striations

Function:
Propels substances or objects (foodstuff, urine, a baby) along internal passageways; involuntary control

Location:
Mostly in the walls of hollow organs

CARDIAC MUSCLE

Branching; striated; generally uninucleate cells that interdigitate at specialized junctions (intercalated discs)

Function:
As it contracts, it propels blood into the circulation; involuntary control

Location:
The walls of the heart