Numerous
eukaryotic cells carry whip-like appendages (
cilia or
eukaryotic flagella) whose inner core consists of a
cytoskeletal structure called the
axoneme. The axoneme serves as the "skeleton" of these
organelles, both giving support to the structure and, in some cases, causing it to bend. Though distinctions of function and/or length may be made between cilia and flagella, the internal structure of the axoneme is common to both.