Lipids are composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen and include fats, phospholipids, and steroids. They are used for long-term energy storage and provide concentrated energy. Fats are made of glycerol bonded to fatty acid chains, which gives them hydrophobic properties and allows them to be stored as dense energy deposits. Phospholipids have a hydrophilic phosphate head and hydrophobic fatty acid tails, allowing them to self-assemble into bilayers that form cell membranes. Cholesterol is an important animal cell component that helps maintain membrane fluidity and is a precursor for sex hormones.