page_title: Cilia
hierarchical_section_title: Cilia
caption_attribution_description: Scanning electron microscope image of lung trachea epithelium. There are both ciliated and non-ciliated cells in this epithelium. Note the difference in size between the cilia and the microvilli (on the non-ciliated cell surface). Zeiss DSM 962 SEM
context_page_description: A cilium is an organelle found in eukaryotic cells. Cilia are slender protuberances that project from the much larger cell body.
  There are two types of cilia:
  motile cilia, which beat against fluid outside the cell.
  non-motile, or primary cilia, which typically serve as sensory organelles.
  In eukaryotes, cilia and flagella together make up a group of organelles known as undulipodia.
  Eukaryotic cilia are structurally identical to eukaryotic flagella, although distinctions are sometimes made according to function and/or length.
  Motile cilia are found on protist ciliates like Paramecium. They are how Paramecium moves around. They are also found on the epithelial cells of many internal organs of metazoans, such as the digestive system and the trachea of the lungs.
context_section_description: A cilium (plural cilia) is an organelle found in eukaryotic cells. Cilia are slender protuberances that project from the much larger cell body.
  There are two types of cilia: 
  motile cilia, which beat against fluid outside the cell.
  non-motile, or primary cilia, which typically serve as sensory organelles.
  In eukaryotes, cilia and flagella together make up a group of organelles known as undulipodia.
  Eukaryotic cilia are structurally identical to eukaryotic flagella, although distinctions are sometimes made according to function and/or length.
  Motile cilia are found on protist ciliates like Paramecium. They are how Paramecium moves around. They are also found on the epithelial cells of many internal organs of metazoans, such as the digestive system and the trachea of the lungs.
caption: SEM micrograph of the cilia projecting from respiratory epithelium in the lungs
exif: {}