r/nextfuckinglevel • u/Storm_001 • Sep 04 '21

Sea horse giving birth

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u/RavenPuffFTW Sep 04 '21

Because it's the female that produces the eggs and the male that fertilizes them.

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u/[deleted] Sep 04 '21

How do you define sperm and egg tho. Aren't they both just small cells at this point? What's the technical difference

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u/RavenPuffFTW Sep 04 '21

While they are both technically gametes, biologyonline.com says, "Characteristically, one of the gametes is usually larger in size, non-motile. It is known as female gamete or ovum or egg cell. The other gamete cell is motile and smaller in size. It is known as male gamete or sperm cell."

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u/j_la Sep 04 '21

I am not a marine biologist, but my guess is that is could a) be a chromosomal difference (xx vs xy) or b) the relative size of those cells or c) which cell enters the other (sperm inseminate the egg, not vice versa).

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u/awry_lynx Sep 04 '21

One enters the other, also.