Reveal a sperm that is as long as 20 times the size of the body

Do you believe an organism with a 5.8-centimeter-long spermatozoa is 1,000 times the size of human sperm?

The sperm-bearing organism is 20 times longer than the body

What creature do you think . the longest sperm in the planet? Many people will immediately say that - that creature must be about the size of an elephant, or a whale - creatures that have a very "terrific" appearance?

If so, you're wrong.The correct answer is flies - with sperms about 5.8 cm long - that is 20 times the length of its own body, and 1,000 times the size of human sperm.

Picture 1 of Reveal a sperm that is as long as 20 times the size of the body
Flies and "tufts of sperm" like balls in the body.

This was confirmed in a study by Manchester and Zurich University (Switzerland). In addition, the study also showed that sperm size and number depend on the size of the animal's body.

Picture 2 of Reveal a sperm that is as long as 20 times the size of the body

Specifically, the larger the body size, the more sperm in a "sublimated" sperm, but the size is smaller. For example, mice can produce 9.5 million sperms, 124 micrometers long, while elephants can produce up to 200 billion sperm, but only 56 microns long. And the blue whale - the largest creature on the planet is 30 micrometers.

Picture 3 of Reveal a sperm that is as long as 20 times the size of the body
Giant elephants but sperm size is only half the size of mice.

To carry out this study, scientists based on sperm parameters: length, quantity in one ejaculation . of more than 1,000 animals.

The explanation for this finding, Dr. Stefan Luepold of the University of Zurich, said: "The bigger the animals, such as elephants and their sperm, will be at risk of" lost "in the giant genitals. Therefore, the sperm of these species will shrink themselves and make room for the quantity.

Meanwhile, in small animals, this risk is almost non-existent, so large sperm size - which means faster access to eggs - is a survival advantage. "

  1. The testes of flies make up 11% of body weight. This explains why their sperm . is so big.
  2. The process of forming "giant" testicles of flies takes a lot of energy, so the male fly maturation process is usually slower.
  3. Each individual fly will have about 800 sperm in a mating.