Final answer:
When a male mates with a female, the sperm are deposited into a special structure called the spermatheca.
Step-by-step explanation:
The spermatheca is found in certain animals, such as insects, and it serves as a storage sac, holding the sperm for later use, potentially for as long as a year. This allows fertilization to be timed with environmental or food conditions that are optimal for offspring survival. In human reproduction, sperm are made in the testes and after maturation in the epididymis, they are carried through the vas deferens to be eventually deposited in the female reproductive tract during ejaculation. Here, the sperm must navigate through several challenges before potentially reaching and fertilizing the oocyte.
For some animals that engage in external fertilization or unique mating strategies, males may produce a spermatophore, which is a packet of sperm that can then be transferred to the female directly. However, in humans and many other animals with internal fertilization, sperm are not packaged this way.