How Fast Is Human Sperm Cell?

A sperm cell propels itself at 0.1 mm per second using a whip-like flagellum. It must travel about 18 cm to reach an egg — the proportional equivalent of a human swimming 340 km without rest. Only one in roughly 300 million completes the journey.

Human sperm cells were first observed by Antonie van Leeuwenhoek in 1677 — using one of the first microscopes ever built. He called them 'animalcules'.

• 5× faster than an E. coli bacterium
• 14,000× slower than a walking human