Palmitic acid is very common in animal fats. A saturated fatty acid is one whose hydrocarbon chain contains only single bonds. The side group of a fatty acid consists of a hydrocarbon chain. Fats and oils are the two types of triglycerides. Triglycerides function as energy stores in living things.
Fats are solid at room temperature, oils are liquid at room temperature.
A bilayer of phospholipids forms the continuous, central portion of biological membranes. Most phospholipids consist of glycerol bound to two fatty acids and a third, phosphorus-containing component. Cholesterol is an important steroid that is abundant in animal cell plasma membranes, where it plays important roles in regulating the permeability and fluidity of the membrane. Glycolipids are sugar-containing lipids. They are found in many biological membranes.