The Cell Cycle, Stage by Stage
A dividing animal cell moves through a fixed order: interphase to prepare, then four stages of mitosis that share out the chromosomes, and finally cytokinesis that splits the cell in two. Step through the markers in order.
Click a marker or a list item to highlight it.
Step through the stages
Labelled parts
Key points
- Interphase is the longest part of the cycle; the DNA is copied before any visible division starts.
- Mitosis runs prophase, metaphase, anaphase, telophase, and each copy of a chromosome ends up in a different daughter nucleus.
- Cytokinesis divides the cytoplasm, so two separate cells result.
Check yourself
During which stage do the chromosomes line up in the middle of the cell?
Check yourself
When is the DNA copied?
Explanations rewritten in our own words from Biology 2e, Chapter 10: Cell Reproduction (OpenStax), licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. openstax.org/books/biology-2e/pages/10-introduction