Striated muscles are sometimes alternatively referred to as voluntary, striped, or skeletal muscles. The fibers of the muscle group, composed of actin and myosin filaments, are long, thin, and marked with a characteristic pattern of red and white bands. The muscle cells are large and striated muscle is the most common muscle type in vertebrates. Bundled together in cords, striated muscles are connected to bones by tendons and have the ability to rapidly contract. Directly controlled by the central nervous system, voluntary impulses cause the striated muscles to become active.