Semen

Semen or sperm is a fluid that contains spermatozoa. It is secreted by the gonads (sexual glands) of male or hermaphroditic animals and humans for fertilization of female ova. A definite portion of semen discharged by an animal or human is known as ejaculate, and the process of discharge is called ejaculation. Like blood, semen consists of two parts, the cellular part (spermatozoa) and noncellular part (seminal plasma). It contains the spermatozoa.

Related Topics:
Fluid - Spermatozoa - Gonad - Male - Hermaphroditic - Animal - Human - Fertilization - Female - Ova - Ejaculation - Blood - Cellular

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Depending on the species of animals, spermatozoa can fertilize ova externally or internally. In external fertilization, the spermatozoa fertilize the ova outside the female organisms which expelled the ova. Female fish, for example, spawn ova into their aquatic environment. Those ova meet with spermatozoa which have been carried away inside semen secreted by male fish.

Related Topics:
Species - External fertilization - Organism - Fish - Spawn

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By internal fertilization, on the other hand, ova get fertilized inside a female organism. Internal fertilization takes places after insemination of a female by a male through copulation. In low vertebrates (amphibians, reptiles or birds and monotreme mammals), copulation is cloacal. In marsupial mammals and placental mammals, copulation is vaginal.

Related Topics:
Internal fertilization - Insemination - Copulation - Vertebrate - Amphibian - Reptile - Bird - Monotreme - Cloaca - Marsupial - Placental mammal - Vagina

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Mammalian semen is a whitish, milky fluid, very viscous, containing water and small amounts of salt, protein, and fructose. It varies from being without scent and taste, to having a strong taste and smell of ammonia. Many people claim that one's diet can alter the taste of semen for better or worse, but this has not been scientifically proven.

Related Topics:
Whitish - Milk - Viscous - Water - Salt - Protein - Fructose - Ammonia

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