

Di!erence Between Human

Sperm and Ovum
August 26, 2017 By Rachna C — Leave a Comment

Sperm is the male gamete, produced in the

testis of a male, while Ovum is the female
gamete, produced in the ovary of a female.
Ovum, also known as egg cell and is said to be the
largest cell in the female body. On the contrary
Sperm cells is the smallest cell in the male body.

Egg cell and sperm cells differ in many ways,

which can be their origin, nature, composition,
and purpose for existence. Though both play an
important role at the time of human
reproduction process, where the participation of
both the opposite gametes is equally important
and necessary. The cell having the single set of
unpaired chromosomes is called as gametes.
Each cell (gamete) contains 23 chromosomes
which further fuse to form the complete set of
chromosomes (46).

The process by which male and female

reproductive cells are produced is called
gametogenesis. The production of sperm is as
Spermatogenesis and that of the female is
called as oogenesis as ovums are produced. In
this article, we will discuss few common
difference between the both the type of the
reproductive cell.

Content: Human Sperm Vs Ovum

1. Comparison Chart
2. Definition
3. Key Differences
4. Conclusion

Comparison Chart

BASIS FOR HUMAN HUMAN

COMPARISON SPERM OVUM

Meaning The male gamete The female

which is long, gamete,
motile, where the
flagellated cell cells are
and is rounded
differentiated spheres and
into head, neck, non-motile,
middle piece and though not
tail is known as differentiated
sperm. into different
regions are
known as
Ovum.

Size Very small. Large in size.

Movement Can move. Not able to

move.

Mitochondria In the middle Mitochondria

piece, are scattered
mitochondria in the
form a spiral and cytoplasm.
are compactly
arranged.

Cytoplasm Present in the Present in

small amount. large
amount.

Nucleus It is condensed Ovum

with no contains
nucleoplasm. nucleoplasm,
called as the
germinal
vesicle.

The nucleus The nucleus

contains X or Y contains only
chromosome. X
chromosome.

Centrioles Present. Absent.

Produced in Sperms are Ovum is

produced in the produced in
testes. ovaries.

Number of Four sperms are Only one

sperms formed formed from one ovum is
spermatogonium. formed from
one
oogonium.

Differentiated Sperms are Ovum is not

into separated into externally
head, neck, separated
middle piece and into regions.
tail.

Surrounded by Surrounded by Ovum is

plasma surrounded
membrane only. by the egg
envelopes.

De"nition of Human Sperm

Sperm is derived from the Greek word ‘Sperma‘
which means seed. It is the male reproductive
cell. Sperm is said to be the straightest and the
smallest cell in the human anatomy. Sperm
cells size is about 60 um long, which is motile,
and flagellated. The nucleus is small, with the
small quantity of cytoplasm.

The cell is divided into various parts like the

head, neck, middle piece and long tail with
some mitochondria. In the women’s womb,
sperm cells can be conserved and frozen below at
60-degree Celsius. The process by which sperms
are produced is called as spermatogenesis.

De"nition of Human Ovum

Ovum is the female reproductive cell. These are
also known as egg cell, oocytes. Ovum is round
in shape and does not require the microscope to
be seen and are visible through naked eyes. As
the ovum has the large amount cytoplasm, they
are said to be the largest cell in the anatomy of
the human. Their size varies from 0.15-0.2 mm
and is surrounded by the zona pellicuda, which is
the transparent, non-cellular zone. The volume of
the cytoplasm is so high, that nucleus is found
dissolved in it. Though these cells are non-
motile. Oogenesis is the process of producing
ovum.

Even after so many dissimilarities between both

types of cells (sperm and ovum), fuse into each
other at the time of conception. In the natural
flora, the egg cell can exist only for 12-24 hours
and can’t be conserved.

Key Di!erences Between

Human Sperm and Ovum
Following are the difference between
Human Sperm and Ovum:

1. Sperm is the male gamete which is

long, motile, flagellated cell and is
differentiated into head, neck, middle
piece and tail, though they are
comparatively smaller in size. Ovum
is the female gamete, where the cells
are rounded spheres and non-motile,
though not differentiated into
different parts, and the cells are
larger in comparison to the sperm
cell.

2. Mitochondria forms a spiral and

are compactly arranged in the middle
piece in the sperm, but in the ovum,
mitochondria are scattered in the
cytoplasm.

3. Cytoplasm is present in small

amount in sperm as compare to the
ovum.

4. The nucleus is condensed with no

nucleoplasm and contains X or Y
chromosomes in Sperms along with
centrioles, while Ovum contains
nucleoplasm called as germinal
vesicle and contains only X
chromosome, centrioles are absent.

5. Sperms are produced in the testes,

where four sperms are formed from
one spermatogonium, whereas Ovum
are produced in ovaries, and only one
ovum is formed from one oogonium.

6. Sperms are differentiated into head,

neck, middle piece and tail, and is
surrounded by the plasma
membrane. Ovum is not externally
differentiated into various parts and
is surrounded by the egg envelopes.

Conclusion
Difference between the two cells is prevalent.
These two cells (sperm and ovum) are though
significantly opposite cells regarding their origin,
purpose, and nature. But these cells play their
vital role at the time of conception, where the egg
cell and ovum fuse to form.

The zygote. It is said that there is apart from

these two cells, there is no such cell which
combines and fit together to form the new diploid
cells.

You Might Also Like:

1. Difference Between Male and Female
Reproductive System
2. Difference Between Internal and
External Fertilization
3. Difference Between Pollination and
Fertilization
4. Difference Between Cilia and Flagella
5. Difference Between Oestrogen
(Estrogen) and Progesterone

Filed Under: Zoology

Leave a Reply
Your email address will not be published.
Required fields are marked *

Comment

Name *

Email *

Website

Save my name, email, and website in this

browser for the next time I comment.

I'm not a robot

reCAPTCHA
Privacy - Terms

POST COMMENT

Search the site ...

TOP 5 DIFFERENCES

Difference Between Primary Metabolites and

Secondary Metabolites

Difference Between Communicable and Non-

Communicable disease

Difference Between Tap Root and Fibrous

(Adventitious) Root

Difference Between C3, C4 and CAM pathway

Difference Between Solute and Solvent

RELATED DIFFERENCES

Difference Between Male and Female

Reproductive System

Difference Between Oestrogen (Estrogen) and

Progesterone

Difference Between Turner and Klinefelter

Syndrome

Difference Between Internal and External

Fertilization

Difference Between Oviparous and Viviparous

Animals

NEW ADDITIONS

Difference Between Autosomes and Sex

Chromosomes

Difference Between Tyndall Effect and Brownian

Motion

Difference Between Anatomy and Physiology

Difference Between Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and

Carbon Monoxide (CO)

Difference Between Cereals and Pulses

Difference Between Weather and Climate

Difference Between Evergreen and Deciduous

Forests

Difference Between Humoral and Cell-Mediated

Immunity

Difference Between Metals, Non-Metals and

Metalloids

Difference Between Breathing and Respiration

CATEGORIES

Biochemistry

Botany

Ecology

Microbiology

Science

Zoology

Copyright © 2019 · Bio Di!erences · Contact Us · Privacy