The biggest sperm come in the smallest packages – and other odd facts about male sex cells

Sexual competition has made sperm the most diverse - and fascinating - cells in the animal kingdom

This piece was first published on The Conversation.

Most people probably think of sperm as the microscopic tadpole-like things wriggling around in human semen. But there is an astonishing amount of diversity in the size, shape and number of sperm produced by male animals. In fact, despite performing the very same function in all animal species (fertilising eggs), sperm are the most diverse cells found among animals.