Collagen type I is the most abundant protein in mammals. It has outstanding mechanical properties and is present in virtually every extracellular tissue with mechanical function. In tendons and ligaments, collagen transmits the force from muscles to bones and stores elastic energy. Smooth walking would not be possible without these properties. Collagen also represents most of the organic matrix of bones and tooth dentin and confers them their fracture resistance. It is a major constituent of skin and blood vessels and is even present in muscles, which could not function without a collagen-rich matrix around the contractile cells. A slightly different type of collagen (type II) is a critical component of a tissue as soft as articular cartilage. The function of collagen is not only mechanical. In the cornea of the eye, for example, the ordering of collagen fibrils confers transparency in addition to mechanical stability.