Male gonads or testes, are one of a pair of glands that produce the male reproductive cells, or sperm cells. The testes develop in the abdomen, then go down into an external sac, the scrotum. A testis is composed of coiled seminiferous tubules whose linings contain cells that develop into sperm (Tortora). These tubules combine into a larger tube called the epididymis that lead out of the testis into vas deferens. Between the seminiferous tubules there is interstitial tissue that secretes the male sex hormone testosterone, which stimulates the development of the male reproductive system and secondary sex characteristics. Sometimes the testes do not go down normally before or shortly after birth and remain in the abdomen. Testes are components of the reproductive system (being gonads).
The respective functions of the testes are:
