Sperm Physiology of South American Camelids

Abstract

The sperm physiology of South American camelids from samples collected by vaginal aspiration of the ejaculate reveals that it is perfectly sound for semen analysis. There are no significant differences between llama and alpaca semen. Volume (4 mL), motility (70%), viability (85%), concentration (32 million), normal spermatozoa (76%), abnormal heads (8%), cytoplasmic droplets (5%), abnormal tails (8.5%) and morphology is comparable to semen collected with an artificial vagina. The most salient feature is the epididymal spermatozoa’s concentration (327 million/mL). Glucose and fructose are present in uterine and oviductal fluid with less glucose concentration by 24 h after ejaculation which is concomitant with decreased spermatozoa motility. Supplemental nutrition of the male effectively improved spermatozoa concentration to 192 million spermatozoa/mL rather than 60 million in males not receiving any supplement. Altogether, practitioners and scientists could use the information in this chapter, especially spermatozoa features within the uterus and the oviduct.