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spermatozoa

mature male germ cells, the specific output of the testes. The spermatozoon is the generative element of the semen and serves to fertilise the ovum. It consists of a head (or nucleus), a neck, a middle piece, and a tail with an end piece. Spermatzoa, formed in the seminiferous tubules, are derived from spermatogonia, which first develop into spermatocytes, which, in turn, undergo meiosis to produce spermatids; the spermatids then differentiate into spermatozoa.