Sperm. are they animals?

Factual Questions
1

To watch them under a microscope you would certainly think they have a purposeful mobility equal to or greater than many single cell animals. So why can’t sperm be classified as animals?

2

Errrr…Because they can’t reproduce?

3

They are not complete cells, and do not perform all the functions normally included in the definition of an organism.

4

Is a mule not an animal?

5

What the hell do you mean…are they animals? Are you referring to animal sperm or human sperm?
If the latter, then the answer would be: They are us.

The male germ cell or gamete. It carries half of our DNA to our other half and determines our sex.
(UH-OH This sounds like a precurser to a Roe v. Wade argument)

6

They are one celled life forms, like every other cell in your body (except they are haploid). And what is with all the sperm questions tonight? JeeZ!! It’s like someone Jizzed all over GQ!!

7

Looks like there’s a sudden surge of interest in sperm on these boards. LOL.

Sperm don’t classify as animals because

(1) They don’t eat.
(2) They don’t grow
(3) They don’t reproduce (as in, they don’t make more sperm)
(4) They are gametes

8

Sure they do. They reproduce indirectly, which is common:

How chickens reproduce:

  • Chickens make eggs.
  • Eggs make more chickens.

How people reproduce:

  • People (ok, guys) make sperm.
  • Sperm makes more people.

How sperm reproduce:

  • Sperm makes people.
  • People make more sperm.

Well, ok.

9

Good one on reproduction MrNeutron

With regard to the comment “they don’t grow”, I would ask "what is an immature sperm then?

With regard to the comment “they don’t eat”, I would ask "How do they get the energy to be mobile? Can’t they aquire enery like bacteria?

10

re: Sperm. Are they animals?
Great.

Now PETA is gonna be after me for mass murder.

11

Stop me before I kill again!

Anyhoo, IMHO I think they are just as alive as a virus or bacteria. Still I don’t think they are animals by any means. They are barely organisms.

12

Immature sperm cell picture on this page: http://www.med.utah.edu/andrology/photo_gallery.html

Pictures of more kinds of sperm than you ever want to see: http://wwwvet.murdoch.edu.au/spermatology/images.html

Sperm is powered by Mitochondria in its tail.

Mitochondria in the tail: (scroll down) http://www.mrs.umn.edu/~goochv/CellBio/lectures/meiosis/meiosis.html

All the mitochondria is in the tail, and only the head enters the egg cell, so all human mitochondria comes from the mother.

Spermatogenesis is also covered in the last link.

13

A spermatid.

**

No. They simply die after a short time.

14

Bahahaha! I humbly request the use of that as a sig. Please.

15

And Jebus, you’re name is Spit too!

16

I mean your, of course. It’s just that I’m laughing too hard to tpye.

17

Wow.

I would be honored. :smiley:

18

Aside from the question whether spermatozoa are true life forms,
are any single celled life forms generally considered animals? It’s been a while since I was in school, and I think they’ve reclassified some of the kingdoms, but it was my understanding that single-celled life forms were not Animalia.

For example:

Animal: A multicellular organism of the kingdom Animalia… (American Heritage Dictionary)

Or is this one of those “Spiders are insects”, “Mushrooms are plants”, “Dolphins are fish” things?

19

Spit, kindly add my name to your fan club list. Priceless.

The only way that could’ve been funnier is if your username was Swallow.

Kudos, pal.

20

Are you suggesting that eggs are animals?