Blog written by GIVF Compliance Officer Amy Erickson Hagen
How big are sperm?
A sperm cells head is approximately 5 microns in diameter, its tail is approximately 50microns, In total, approximately. 55microns (55 x 10 6 m), that is about 25000 times smaller than a ping-pong ball.
How many sperm are in an ejaculate?
|
Animal |
Ave # of sperm per ejaculate (in millions) |
|
Mouse |
50 |
|
Rat |
58 |
|
Guinea Pig |
80 |
|
Man |
180 |
|
Rabbit |
280 |
|
Sheep |
1000 |
|
Cow |
3000 |
|
Pig |
8000 |
How long does it take the sperm to reach the fallopian tubes (where conception occurs) from the cervix?
|
Animal |
Travel time |
|
Cow |
2-3 min |
|
Rabbit |
few min |
|
Mouse |
15 min |
|
Pig |
15 min |
|
Rat |
15-30 min |
|
Hamster |
2-60 min |
|
Dog |
min-few hrs |
|
Sheep |
6 min – 5 hrs |
|
Woman |
5 min – one hr (68 min) |
Reference: http://www2.oakland.edu/biology/lindemann/spermfacts.htm
