The Muscular System

There are three primary types of muscle tissue: skeletal, cardiac and smooth. Skeletal muscle attaches to bones, other muscles and even skin, to move the various parts of the skeleton. It is called striated because of the alternating dark and light bands perpendicular to the long axes of muscle fibers that can be seen when examined under a microscope.  Skeletal muscle is for the most part voluntary, which means that that it can be made to contract or relax through conscious control.