Final answer:
Epithelial tissues are classified based on the shape of the cells and the number of cell layers. The three shapes of epithelial tissue are squamous, cuboidal, and columnar. Epithelial tissues can be further divided into simple epithelium, stratified epithelium, pseudostratified epithelium, and transitional epithelium.
Step-by-step explanation:
Epithelial tissues are classified based on the shape of the cells and the number of cell layers. There are three shapes of epithelial tissue: squamous, cuboidal, and columnar.
Squamous cells are flattened and thin. Cuboidal cells are boxy and as wide as they are tall. Columnar cells are rectangular and taller than they are wide.
Epithelial tissues can be further divided into simple epithelium, stratified epithelium, pseudostratified epithelium, and transitional epithelium based on the number of cell layers and the shape of the cells.
Simple epithelium consists of a single layer of cells, while stratified epithelium consists of multiple layers. Pseudostratified epithelium appears to have multiple layers due to irregularly shaped cells. Transitional epithelium is a specialized form of stratified epithelium with cells that can change shape.