Metaphase
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Once the microtubules attach to the chromosomes they start pushing and pulling the chromatid pairs around the cell until they align at the cell equator (midpoint). When this happens the cell is at metaphase.
The first image to the near right is a photograph of a model of an animal cell during metaphase. The photomicrograph to the far right is of whitefish blastula cells. Notice how in metaphase the chromosomes align at the equator of the cell. The chromosomes are the darkly staining bodies. The spindle array is evident in both images.
