In this video, we're going to be talking about the duct system of the male anatomy, and we're going to begin with the epididymis. So as I alluded to in our last video, this is the location where sperm mature. And this structure kind of arches over the lateral side of the testis. You can see that nicely here, this purple epididymis is hanging on the side of the testis there. And sperm can actually be stored in this location for several months. So, to kind of put everything together, sperm are being created in the seminiferous tubules within the testes. They're being conveyed to the straight tubules, to the rete testis, to the efferent ductule, and then into the epididymis where they can then be stored for weeks or even months, and then they can mature during that time as well. So that is the epididymis.
Next up, we have the ductus deferens or the vas deferens. I'm going to mostly be calling it the vas deferens because it's a much more common name, but it is technically called the ductus deferens. And this is the structure that actually transports sperm during ejaculation. And so it's going to extend from the epididymis all the way up through the pelvic cavity. You can see nicely here where it's connected to that epididymis, and it will extend all the way through the pelvic cavity, arch over the posterior side of the bladder, and then it will empty into this little duct called the ejaculatory duct right there. I'm going to label that on our image for us. And we're going to talk about this duct a bit in our next video, coming up as well. Alright. So that is the vas deferens. So basically, that's going to be carrying the sperm once an ejaculation is taking place. So the sperm are being stored in the epididymis, and then once an ejaculation is taking place, they will get carried up through this vas deferens.
And then finally, we have the urethra, and this is the terminal portion of the male duct system. Okay? And this will be the structure that is transporting both urine and semen, though not at the same time. So we can see our urethra going here all the way down the penis to the outside world. So we'll label that as the urethra. Alright. So that is the male duct system, and I will see you guys in our next video. Bye bye.