Question

How many chromosomes do egg and sperm cells in the body contain?

Answer 1

Egg and sperm cells are gametes and each contains 23 chromosomes. This is half the number of chromosomes found in somatic (body) cells, which have a total of 46 chromosomes (23 pairs). When an egg and sperm unite during fertilization, they form a zygote with the full complement of 46 chromosomes.