Name ______Per ______

REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM

Male Reproductive System

1. Penis - Organ that contains the urethra (tube) through which urine and semen (sperm andsecretions) are discharged

  • Urine and semen are not secreted at the same time – valve controls release of sperm

2. Scrotum - Paired sacs that hold the testes outside the abdominal cavity

  • Allows for the production and storage of mature sperm to occur at lower temperatures than that of the abdomen
  • Has musculature to contract and relax to position for proper sperm production(scrotum moves closer to body when it’s cold, moves out when it’s warm)

3. Testes – Produce sperm and testosterone

  • Arise early in embryonic development low in abdominal cavity
  • At about the time of birth, testes descend through the inguinal canal and come to lie external to the body sac (allows for proper temperature for sperm production – 2 to 3˚C)

4. Epididymis – semilunar shaped, tubules that surround the testis.

  • Site of maturation and storage of sperm – leads to the ductus deferens.

5. Ductus Deferens (Vas Deferens) – tube that transports sperm and seminal fluid from the testis into the abdominal cavity.

  • originate at the epididymis and pass anteriorly to join the urethra from the urinary bladder.

6. Seminal Vesicles or Vesicular Glands – prominent structures on either side of the urinary bladder (resemble wrinkled question

marks)

  • Function is to add secretions to the seminal fluid to make it more liquid like.
  • Fluid secretion contains fructose for energy source

7. Prostate Gland –Rats have 2 prostate glands – each located near the base of the seminal vesicles.

  • Function is to also add secretions to the seminal fluid to activate the sperm


Male Reproductive System

Female Reproductive System

1. Ovaries – produce eggs and estrogen

  • Appear as a mass of follicles just posterior to the kidneys.
  • Buried in fat
  • Non-pregnant rats are usually in breeding condition with mature or well-developed follicles in the ovaries.

2. Uterus (womb) - Specialized to allow the embryo to become implanted in its inner wall and to nourish the growing fetus from the

maternal blood

  • Rats have 2 uteri – each one is called a uterine horn that comes together at the body of the uterus, which leads to the vagina.
  • Function of uterus is to store and nourish developing embryo.

3. Vagina –leads from the opening of the uteri and the cervix to the exterior of the body.

  • Passageway for sperm & baby


Female Reproductive System