 There are two main sub-classifications of connective tissue.  They are :- 1) connective tissue proper 2) specialized connective tissue.  Connective tissue proper is subdivided further into  loose (or sometimes referred to as areolar)  dense.

 Specialized connective tissue is further subdivided into :  Adipose connective tissue  Reticular connective tissue  Elastic connective tissue  Cartilage  bone supportive connective tissue  Blood fluid connective tissue

1.Loose connective tissue:  is characterized by smaller interwoven collagen fibers embedded in more ground substance than in dense connective tissue.  The fibroblast is the main cell that produces and maintains the ground substance and collagen fibers.  Fewer and smaller collagen fibers compared with dense

1.Loose connective tissue

Fibers: 1)Collagen 2) elastic 3)Reticular Ground substances: 1)flexible 2) well vascularized 3)Not very resistant to stress.

2.Dense connective tissue 1)It has the same components found in loose connective tissue, but there are fewer cells 2)Dense connective tissue is less flexible and more resistant to stress than loose connective tissue.

2.Dense connective tissue Regular Irregular

1.collagen fibers are arranged in bundles 2.collagen fibers form a 3-dimensional network providing resistance to stress from all directions. Dense irregular connective tissue

Dense regular connective tissue

 adipose tissue represents 15–20% of the body weight in men of normal weight  in women of normal weight, 20–25% of body weight.

What kind of tissue does this represent? Where in the body can you find this tissue? delicate thin layers between tissues; present in all mucous membranes Loose (areolar) connective tissue

What kind of tissue does this represent? Where in the body can you find this tissue? Adipose tissue fat

What kind of tissue does this represent? Where in the body can you find this tissue? Dense connective tissue tendons; ligaments