What is hyaline cartilage?

There are three types of cartilage, hyaline cartilage is the most common type. Cartilage is a form of connective tissue mostly found between bones.

Cartilage is a connective tissue, it is more flexible than bone but tough. Cartilage is associated with bone for the most part and stops the bones from rubbing against each other and wearing away.

The diagram below describes the three types of cartilage, basically each of the types has a different amount of fibers making that type more or less elastic.

Hyaline cartilage fits in between elastic cartilage which is very bendable and fibrous cartilage which is very stiff. The more fibers the chondrocytes (cartilage cells) produce and put into their surroundings the stiffer the resulting cartilage. Look at the images of each type of cartilage, can you see how many cells there are compared to how much fiber there is?

The elasticity of cartilage is useful for the purpose, the next image shows where each type is found in the body. Elastic cartilage is great for the ears and nose because these parts last longer when they have a lot of give. The fibrous cartilage is great for the back because it is tough and holds the vertebrae like glue. Hyaline cartilage is elastic enough to allow for use in the joints which are subject to a great deal of swinging and bouncing around as you walk and run or sit.

Here are some websites for further reading:

http://www.britannica.com/science/cartilage

http://www.histology.leeds.ac.uk/bone/cartilage_types.php