What is the smallest cell in the human body?

The sperm is the smallest cell in human biology, but also one of the most complex.

Sperm is the male reproductive cell. In the types of sexual reproduction known as anisogamy and its subtype oogamy, there is a marked difference in the size of the gametes with the smaller one being termed the "male" or sperm cell. A uniflagellar sperm cell that is motile is referred to as a spermatozoon, whereas a non-motile sperm cell is referred to as a spermatium.

The word "sperm" is derived from the Greek word (σπέρμα) sperma (meaning "seed").

Related to sperm quality is sperm size, at least in some animals. For instance, the sperm of some species of fruit fly (Drosophila) are up to 5.8 cm long — about 20 times as long as the fly itself. Longer sperm cells are better than their shorter counterparts at displacing competitors from the female’s seminal receptacle. The benefit to females is that only healthy males carry ‘good’ genes that can produce long sperm in sufficient quantities to outcompete their competitors.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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17 Comments

Special Patrol Group

Not always found in a female of the species ....

Iain Bradley

It's not the smallest one,the granule/gorgi neurons are !

Dena Barrett

This is inaccurate. The sperm isn't the smallest cell in the human body because, first it is only present in the male's body but even with that it isn't the smallest cell. The smallest cells in the human body are the Granule/Golgi neurons in the granular layer (innermost layer of grey matter) of Cerebellum.

Coral Harvey

A sperm cell makes the human ova look like a giant planet Jupiter. Amazing so much genetic material is contained in it.

Wyla Reedy

I've seen in a documentary, the size of a male human sperm cell to the female egg. Unbelievable!.

Kat

As others have stated, the smallest cell in the human body (both male and female) is the Granule cell of the Cerebellum. Of the ones listed, the sperm was smallest, but that's not how the question was phrased.