Question

The purpose of testes being situated outside the abdominal cavity in the scrotum is

• A. Because the abdominal cavity is too cramped up for the growth of testes
• B. To avoid testes getting crushed or damaged by other organs
• C. To maintain the scrotal temperature lower than the internal body temperature
• D. To make testes less responsive to estrogen

Answer 1

The correct option is C

To maintain the scrotal temperature lower than the internal body temperature

The testes in humans are situated outside the abdominal cavity, inside the scrotum, in order to maintain scrotal temperature lower than the internal body temperature. This is because sperm development is optimised at this lower scrotal temperature. Sperm production is affected at normal body temperature.