a-short-review-of-histology

The Epididymis:

The epididymis is a long coiled tube which lies posterior to the testis
It receives spermatozoa from the ductuli efferentes
From their entry into the epididymis and until they are ejaculated from the penis, the spermatozoa rely on muscular activity of the walls of the tubes that they are located in to provide movement along the excretory ducts
The flagella which characterises spermatozoa are not used for locomotion until the spermatozoa are delivered into the female genital tract
The epididymis is a muscular tube which is lined by a pseudostratified columnar epithelium with stereocilia
Stereocilia are long, 50 microns+, microvillous structures which project into the lumen of the epididymis
They are thought to play a part in mixing the spermatozoa with the sperm maturation factors which are secreted into the lumen of the epididymis by the lining epithelium
The epididymis acts as a sperm storage area in which the spermatozoa acquire the capacity for fertilization and the capacity to use their flagellum for unidirectional movement

Micrograph of The Epididymis: