REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM OF MAMMALS

• Mammals reproduce sexually and are viviparous,

that means they give birth to young ones alive.
• After fertilization, life develops inside the body
of the female and forms a zygote which on further
development into an embryo.
• The embryo gets nourishment through the
placenta from the mother’s body and develops into a baby.
• The rabbit and human beings are used as
examples to illustrate the reproductive systems in
mammals.
Male Reproductive System
• Testes- spherical organs enclosed by the scrotum,
attached to the pubic region. Produces sperm and also
produce the sex hormone(testosterone) which aids the
development of secondary sexual characters.
• Seminiferous tubules- narrow tubes within the
testes in which sperm is formed or produced.<SPERM
PRODUCTION CENTER>
• Epididymis – collects and stores sperm
temporarily until they mature.<SPER CABINET>
• Vas deferens (sperm duct)- tube carrying sperm
from the epididymis to the seminal vesicles.<SPERM
TRANSPORTER>
• Seminal vesicles- a small sac where sperm are
stored until they are ejaculated and secretes seminal fluid
that provides energy for the sperm.<SPERM IS STORED>
• Prostate and Cowper's gland- secretes a liquid
(semen) into which the sperm is suspended and nourished,
accounts for mobility and viability of sperms.<SEMEN
INTRODUCED>
 • Urethra- passage within the penis through which
the sperm flows to the exterior.<SPERM PASSAGEWAY>
• Penis- muscular organ that serve as a common
passage for the exit of urine and semen, but the two cannot
pass through it at the same time.
NOTE: Semen is a mixture of sperm and the secretion from the
seminal vesicles, prostrate glands and Cowper's glands. It is a
milky-white fluid emitted from the urethra on ejaculation.
Fig 1: Male Reproductive System
Female Reproductive System
• Ovaries- two in number, produce the female
gamete called egg or ova and release one monthly
alternatively. The wall of ovary secretes oestrogen and
progesterone which help in the development of the
secondary sexual characteristics in females.
• Oviduct (fallopian tube)- two tubes leading
from the ovary to the uterus. Fertilization takes place in the
oviduct. It is the tube through which the egg or ovum
passes from the ovary to the uterus.<TUBES OF
FERTILIZATION AND TRANSPORTATION>
• Uterus- a highly elastic organ. During pregnancy,
it stretches to accommodate a growing baby. A muscular
organ in whose cavity the foetus is develops. It receives the
ovum from the fallopian tube. It forms the placenta for the
development of foetus.<ELASTIC ORGAN FOR FOETUS
DEVELOPMENT>
• Cervix- neck and entrance of the uterus. Consist
of narrow passage leading to the vagina, and controls the
opening and closing of the vagina especially during birth.
<VAGINA ENTRY THAT CONTROLLS
 OPENING AND CLOSING>
• Vulva- The Vulva is the collective name for the
external parts of the female reproductive system which
includes the labia majora (pair of folded skin enclosing the
opening into the vagina, labia minora (lies within the labia
majora) and hymen (a membrane that covers the opening of
the vagina before the first sexual intercourse).
• Vagina- tube leading from the uterus to the
exterior. It is called the birth canal.
• Clitoris- small sensitive organ which corresponds
to the penis in the males. Like the penis, it is erectile and
becomes stiff on account of blood flow into it when
stimulated.
<PUSSY PENIS THAT BECOMES STIFF
WHEN HORNY>
Fig 2: Female Reproductive System
Structure of the sperm and ovum
• The reproductive sex cells are called gametes.
The formation of gametes or gametogenesis takes place in
the gonads.
• Males Gametes
• A sperm or spermatozoa is microscopic. It
consists of three parts: a pointed head, containing the
nucleus and acrosome; a middle piece containing the
mitochondria; and a tail or flagellum, with which it swims
in a liquid medium to reach an egg.
• Female Gametes
• A human oocyte (ovum) is two times bigger than
the spermatozoa and just visible without the microscope. It
has a nucleus and cytoplasm, surrounded by a plasma
membrane(inner) and vitelline membrane(outer).
Fig 3: Structure of a Sperm Cell (spermatozoon)
Fig 4: Structure of a Ovum Cell (Oocyte)
Menstrual Cycle
• Menstrual cycle is series of changes that occur in
the reproductive organs of a mature female to release an
egg on the average of every 28 days,(menses means
month), under the influence of hormones.
• The changes are accompanied by discharge of
blood, mucus, unfertilized egg and uterine materials
resulting from the breakdown of the soft tissue lining the
uterus, via the vagina. The bleeding lasts for about 4-5 days
although variation exists.
• By the time a female is born, all its above ova
have already been formed. They remain undeveloped in the
ovaries until puberty. Then from puberty to menopause one
or more ova mature at regular intervals and are released
into the oviducts. This process is called ovulation.
• In human ovulation occurs approximately once a
month and usually one ovum, which can be from either
ovary, is released at a time. In other mammals the pattern
varies, occurring less frequently than in humans. The
females are only receptive to males at these mating seasons,
when she ‘comes on heat’.
• The ripening and release of a human ovum and
the preparation of the wall of the uterus to receive it are
controlled by four hormones. Two of these are secreted by
the pituitary gland and two by the ripening ovum and its
integuments. These hormones interact to bring about a
regular sequence of events (menstrual cycle) which is
repeated roughly every four weeks.
Fertilization, Implantation, Placenta
• Coition and Fertilization
• Fertilization is internal in mammals. Fertilization
is the fusion of the nucleus of the sperm and the nucleus of
the ovum. It takes place in the upper part of the oviduct.
First, sperms are discharged in large numbers into the
vagina during coition or copulation. In man it is estimated
that about 200 000 000- 300 000 00 may be releases at each
discharge.
• The sperms are contained in liquid called semen
and swim into the uterus and oviducts. Often, no sperms
succeed in reaching the ovum. If any do, then one may
fertilize it. Only the head of the sperm penetrates the ovum.
• Implantation
• The zygote undergoes rapid cell division as it
passes down the oviduct into the uterus. The movement is
aided by the peristaltic contractions of the Fallopian
muscles and lasts for five to seven days before arriving the
uterus. On reaching the uterus, it secretes enzymes which
destroy a few cells of soft uterine lining(endometrium) and
penetrates into the uterine lining at this point and gets itself
firmly implanted in the uterine wall.
• Placenta
• In the early stage of pregnancy, certain structures
form in the uterus. Such structures make it possible for the
embryo to live within the mother’s womb.
• Placenta is one of the most important of these
structures, it establishes an intimate connection between the
embryo and the mother. The placenta is made up of
permeable walls consisting chorionic villi of foetus and
endometrial lining of the mother’s uterus respectively.
• Oxygen and food are supplied from the mother’s
body to the foetus through the placenta. The placenta also
transports carbon (iv) oxide and other excretory wastes
from the foetus to the mother’s blood.
• The placenta is connected to the embryo by the
umbilical cord. The umbilical cord has an artery and a
vein. The artery carries embryo’s carbon (iv) oxide and
nitrogenous wastes to placenta. The vein carries nutrients
and oxygen from the mother’s blood to the embryo.