MALE BOVINE REPRODUCTIVE ANATOMY

(transcript and exercises)

In modern dairy production, it is getting less and less common to see bulls on farms, because greater than 70%/ 17% of
cows in the US are bred using artificial insemination. Why is this? Well, it's quite simple. With the development of
artificial insemination, for the first time, every farmer could own the best bull just by purchasing a straw of his
sperm/semen. Some of the best bulls have sired more than 100,000 calves, and this has greatly accelerated the rate of
genetic progress in the national diary herd /dairy herd. For example, milk production per cow has more than doubled in
the last 30/ 13 years. Now, I can't help but to point out that the many of the techniques associated with artificial
insemination were developed and refined here at Penn State in the 1940s and 1950s by a famous scientist named Dr.
John Almquist. Dr. Almquist ultimately was awarded the Wolf Prize for his work, an award that many refer to as the
Nobel Prize for agriculture/ agribusiness. He and his collaborators developed and refined ways of freezing and storing
semen. So what was the outcome of all this research? Well, because of the rapid genetic/ gene progress made possible
by artificial insemination. In the US, we have less than a third of the cows than we did 60 years ago. And those cows are
producing two-thirds more milk. Added benefits included reducing the spread of syphilis/ venereal disease by bulls,
reducing the cost associated with feeding an animal that weighs almost a ton, and reducing injuries and deaths/ cuts
and lacerations associated with having temperamental bulls around workers. Many farmers still have the perception
that bull breeding results in the highest pregnancy/gestation rates but this is not always the case. Having said that,
many farms still maintain live bulls, and in other countries, it is the primary way that cows get pregnant/ fertilised.
There are a number of issues that must be addressed if dairy farmers want to get maximal fertility from their bulls. But
first, let's quickly go over the anatomy of the bull reproductive tract.

Just as with the ovaries, the testis are also referred to as the gonads, and there are two of them. The testes are the sites
of _____________(1). They are housed in the _____________(2) which hangs away from the body. More about that in a
minute. The testes are incredible sperm factories producing in excess of 10,000 sperm during each _____________(3). In
fact, one mature bull produces enough sperm in one day to fertilize every cow in the world. Seems excessive doesn't it?
But I will tell you why later.

One way we evaluate the fertility of a bull is by estimating the size of his testes by measuring his scrotal __________(4).
The larger the testes, the more fertile the bull. Testes are similar to ovaries in some ways, but testes are different in that
they will continue to produce sperm throughout the __________(5) of the bull. Even the oldest bull can fertilize a cow,
even though his ___________(6) declines as he ages. This is the same for humans, where there are reports of males
fathering children when they were in their 70s, and even 80s. Furthermore, just like an old car that doesn't have the
newest features, old bulls are behind the times with their genetic value for production traits. Furthermore, breeding
bulls to their own daughters should be avoided at all costs. This is called _____________(7), and in dairy production it is
bad. Even if you use AI, you want to make sure the bulls you select are not closely related to your cows. Therefore, bulls
should be replaced on a regular basis, and AI ___________(8) should be carefully chosen by someone knowledgeable
about genetics.

Why not keep the testes nestled inside protection of the body cavity like cows and women do with their ovaries?

So when you manage your bulls, you must be aware that heat stress, lack of shade or water, and too much activity
chasing cows around at hot weather can result in ___________(9) body temperature that is severe enough to reduce
the bull's fertility. And when this happens _______________(10) can last for many weeks.

Now, some things you can do if you live in hot climates is to make sure the bulls have easy access to shade and water,
and make sure that you do not have too many cows for each bull to breed. When bulls are young, not more than 10 to
20 cows per bull, and when the bull is mature, 30 to 40 cows is recommended. Remember, if the cows are spread over
large areas, the bull will have to work much harder. So it is recommended that bulls be housed with cows in smaller
pastures during the ______________(11). One other trick is to put the bulls in with the cows only at night when it's
cooler.

Producing sperm is only one function of the testes. The other important function of the testes is the production of the
________________(12) testosterone. High levels of testosterone are critical for sperm production and for male sexual
behavior. Animals deficient in testosterone will have reduced fertility and sexual drive, which we call libido. These dud
bulls, if not detected and culled, can greatly reduce _______________(13) on farms that rely on bull breeding.

Now, once the sperm are produced in the testis, they have to travel a long way to make it out of the body and into a
cow. The major tube leaving each testis is called the epididymis. If the testes are like sperm production factories, the
epididymal tubes are like finishing shops that take the sperm from the testis and put the finishing touches on them for
maximum fertility. The epididymis also serves as a _________(14) where the sperm collect until ejaculated. It takes
about two weeks for sperm to traverse the epididymal ducts, but by the time they do, they are fully mature and ready to
go.

Just like we often reach to the back of the grocer's milk case to get the freshest milk, sperm that spend too long in the
epididymis can start to age and lose fertility. Therefore, when a bull has not ejaculated in a long time, the first couple of
_____________(15) will likely have reduced fertility as the old sperm are cleared from the epididymis first. From this
storage depot in the tail of the epididymis, the sperm are recruited to move into the vas deferens when the bull is
preparing to ejaculate. Each epididymal duct is connected to its own ductus deferens, or vas deferens. The vas deferens
is a muscular transport tube that carries sperm from the epididymal duct back up into the body cavity in preparation for
ejaculation.

What happens during a vasectomy?

What is the function of the accessory sex glands?

What is the sperm delivery mechanism that conveys semen?

Summary: For the male, the testes are the sperm factories that also produce testosterone. They must be kept cooler
than body temperature to function. The sperm, 10,000 per heartbeat, leave the testis and are finished and stored in the
epididymis until ejaculation, at which time they move up into the body through the vas deferens. And passed the
accessory sex glands, which add protective secretions to the sperm that help it survive in the female reproductive tract.
The sperm and accessory fluids are called semen. And together, they are expelled from the penis into the vagina at
copulation.