Dense Connective Tissue
Cells and fibers are packed together tightly.
Read the descriptions of the different dense connective tissues below and select the best choice using all the clues you can find.
dense regular connective tissue
The fibers are in huge bundles - much thicker than the cells.
The fiber bundles are parallel to each other, and fairly straight, or slightly wavy.
The fibers are often stained pink, or yellowish-whitish, but may be quite pale.
The nuclei of the fibroblasts often get squashed into rows between fiber bundles.
dense irregular connective tissue
The fibers are in huge bundles - much thicker than the cells.
The fiber bundles swirl in every direction, including being at a 90 degree angle to neighboring fiber bundles.
The fibers generally stain pinkish.
The nuclei of the fibroblasts appear to be randomly scattered amongst the fibers.
elastic connective tissue
The fibers are quite thin (not as thick as the cells).
The fibers are often very wavy.
The fibers are naturally yellow, but may be stained black, or red.
The cells are sometimes widely scattered, and may sometimes be greatly outnumbered by the fibers.
