Differences between Plant Cell and Animal Cell

Cells are the fundamental building blocks of a living organism. All types of organisms are made up of microscopic units called cells. Although cells in all sort of organisms share many similarities, but still there are a number of basic differences between plant cells and animal cells. Today we will learn these!

Differences between Plant Cells and Animal Cells

Differences between Plant Cell and Animal Cell

Property	Plant Cell	Animal Cell
Cell wall	A plant cell is surrounded by cell wall — which gives shape and rigidity to the plant cell. Cells wall also protects cell from external environment.	Animal cells do not have cell walls around them. They are enclosed by cell membrane.
Shape	Plant cells are often square/rectangular or polyhedron in shape.	Animal cells are roundish or irregularly in shape.
Nutrition	Plant cells are autotrophic. It means that they do not depend on other organisms to produce energy.	Heterotrophic. Animal cells depend on other organisms to produce energy for their use.
Reserve Food	Store reserved food as starch.	Store reserved food as glycogen.
Nucleus	Nucleus is often located towards the periphery of the cell.	Nucleus is located in the center of the cell.
Mitochondria	Present in fewer numbers.	Present in large number.
Chloroplast	Present. Plant cells store energy in chloroplast.	Absent. Animal cells store energy in mitochondria.
Plastids	Present	Absent
Cilia	Absent	Present in most of the animal cells.
Vacuoles	One (or few) big vacuoles present near the center.	Smaller but many vacuoles present.
Lysosome	Rarely present.	Present.
Centrosomes / Centrioles	Absent.	Present.
Synthesis of Nutrients	Being autotrophic, plant cells can synthesize all the amino acids, vitamins and coenzymes.	Animal cells can not synthesize amino acids, vitamins and coenzymes. They depend for these on external sources.