Race to fertilise: Scientists explain how sperms compete to win

In situations where a female copulates with several males in quick succession, only the best sperm, marked by speed, size and viscosity, wins the race to fertilise the egg, says a study. “The sperm of the different males then compete within the female to fertilise the eggs,” said study author Steven Ramm from the Bielefeld University in Germany. The researchers showed that it is not just the amount of sperm that is important, but also its form. Sperms are considered to be the most complex type of cell in the entire animal kingdom. In nature, it is not unusual for a female to copulate with several males in quick succession – chimpanzees are an example.

Generally speaking, the best sperm wins. This may involve its speed or also be due to the amount of sperm transferred. Even just the size of the individual sperm cell may provide a competitive advantage.

Study author Steven Ramm

Science sperm