Abstract
Data have been presented showing that the survival of bull spermatozoa is dependent primarily upon a variable physiological factor which is responsible for or influences their resistance to adverse environmental conditions. Further, these data show that a relationship exists between the survival time of bull spermatozoa under storage conditions and the degree of their resistance to a low temperature shock. The cold shock technique, then, can be utilized as a measure of the storage potentialities of semen specimens. Results obtained in this investigation suggest that the storage potentialities of undiluted semen are dependent upon the number of resistant spermatozoa present at the time of ejaculation. On the other hand, they suggest that the storage potentialities of semen diluted with egg yolk are dependent upon the number of spermatozoa, in addition to those resistant at ejaculation, possessing the ability to become resistant in the presence of egg yolk. The epididymal spermatozoa were much more resistant to a cold temperature shock than ejaculated spermatozoa. Copyright © . .