Male

A male (symbol: ♂) is one of the two main sexes in many living things. Males produce tiny cells called sperm. These join with a larger cell from a female, called an ovum or egg, to create a new organism. This joining is called fertilisation.

Most male animals, including humans, have something special inside their cells called a Y chromosome. This helps their bodies make a hormone called testosterone. This hormone helps develop organs used in making sperm.

In people, the word male can also talk about social roles or how someone sees themselves. This is known as gender role or gender identity. This is different from the biological sex of being male.

Overview

Living things have different sexes to help them reproduce. In some species, there are two types that look similar but act a little differently when they join.

In others, one type, called the female, makes a larger egg that cannot move. The other type, called the male, makes smaller sperm that can move to meet the egg.

In some species, males can reproduce without needing a female by making copies of themselves in a different way.

The idea of being male or female depends on the tiny cells (gametes) an organism makes. This difference exists in many kinds of life, not just animals. Even simple plants and tiny water organisms can have male and female parts.

Evolution

See also: Evolution of sexual reproduction and Sex § Evolution of sex

The different roles for males and females started with changes in how living things have babies. At first, all the cells used for having babies were about the same size and were called "+" or "-" types. Over time, the cells changed. The male cell got smaller and could usually move. Scientists are still figuring out why this happened, but one idea is that smaller male cells can move faster to find other cells. Larger female cells are better at staying alive. This change happened many times in different animals, even though we don’t have clear fossil evidence of when it first started. Some people think males might have come from the more active "-" type of cell.

Symbol, etymology, and usage

Symbol

The male sex is shown with a symbol: ♂. This looks like a circle with an arrow pointing northeast. It is the same symbol used for the planet Mars and was first used by Carl Linnaeus in 1751.

Etymology

The word "male" comes from Old French masle. This came from the Latin word masculus. The Latin word means "masculine, male" and is a smaller form of mās, meaning "male person or animal".

Usage

When talking about people, "male" can describe a man or a boy, or refer to their gender role or identity. It can also describe things that belong to or relate to men. The word "male" can also describe a certain shape of connectors.

Sex determination

Main article: Sex-determination system

The sex of an organism can be decided by different things, such as genes or the environment, or it may change during its life. While most species have only two sexes—male or female—some animals, like worms, have both male and female parts.

In many animals, including humans, sex is decided by genes. For example, in most mammals, males have XY chromosomes, while females have XX chromosomes. However, in some species, like certain fish, an animal's sex can change based on how many females are around. In some reptiles, like alligators, the temperature at which the egg is kept decides whether the baby will be male or female.

Secondary sex characteristics

Main article: Secondary sex characteristic

Male animals have special traits that show they are strong and healthy. These traits help them find mates. In many species, males look different from females. For example, in some insects and fish, males are smaller. In mammals, including humans, males are often larger and have more muscle. This helps them compete for mates.

Birds often have bright, colorful feathers to attract females. Males with more vibrant colors often find mates more easily. These traits developed over time because they helped males succeed in finding partners.