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How small is a sperm?

Published in Human Biology 1 min read

Sperm cells are incredibly small, measuring just 0.005cm in length. This makes them some of the smallest cells in the human body. To put that into perspective, a human sperm cell is about 6000th of a centimeter long, a tiny fraction of a man's total body length.

The head of a sperm cell is flat and disc-shaped, measuring 5.1 μm by 3.1 μm, while its tail, known as a flagellum, is 50 μm long. The flagellum propels the sperm cell by whipping in an elliptical cone, allowing it to travel at a speed of 1–3 mm/minute in humans.

While sperm cells are tiny, they are highly specialized cells designed for the task of fertilizing an egg. They contain a unique set of proteins called protamines, which help condense and protect the DNA within the sperm head. This ensures the genetic material is delivered safely to the egg for fertilization.