Sperm – Tutorial

Please read Unit 12 – Introduction to Male Reproductive System Tissues prior to completing the activities in this chapter.

Introduction to Sperm

Sperm (spermatozoa) are male gametes (reproductive cells) produced by the seminiferous tubules of the testes.  Each sperm has four distinct regions known as the head, neck, middle piece, and tail.  The head of a sperm is streamlined to decrease resistance while swimming and contains a nucleus with 23 densely packed chromosomes.  At the tip of the head is a region known as the acrosome that contains enzymes necessary to fertilize an oocyte.  Just behind the head of the sperm is a short neck region that connects the head to the middle piece (mid-piece).  The middle piece of the sperm is packed with mitochondria that produce the ATP necessary to power the swimming motion of the tail.  The tail (flagellum) of a sperm is elongated and wriggles in a whip-like motion to propel the sperm through fluid-filled environments.

Tutorial:  Use the image slider below to learn more about the structure and characteristics of sperm. 

Microscopy:  Use the image slider below to learn how to use a microscope to study sperm on a microscope slide.

Tutorial:  Use the hotspot image below to learn more about the structure of sperm.  

Tutorial:  Use the image slider below to study numerous examples of sperm images.