Biological termHard1 mark
2(iv)
Read the explanations given below and name the structures:
The canal through which the testes descend down into the scrotum just before the birth of a male baby.
Topic: Inguinal canal
Previous-year question practice database
Answer
Exam answer
INGUINAL CANAL.
Explanation
The testes develop inside the abdominal cavity and descend through the inguinal canal into the scrotum shortly before birth.
WHY THEY MUST DESCEND: sperm formation requires a temperature about 2-3°C BELOW body temperature. The scrotum, hanging outside the body, provides it. If a testis fails to descend (cryptorchidism) it cannot produce sperms, which is why the condition causes sterility if uncorrected.
This is a favourite examination link: the position of the scrotum is not an accident of anatomy but a requirement of physiology.
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