Anatomy Corner

banner
Menu
  • Home
  • Organs
  • Quiz
  • Gallery
  • Video
  • Dissection
Home
Anatomy
Epiglottis

Epiglottis

anatomycorner September 13, 2016

The epiglottis is elastic cartilage that is attached to the entrance of the larynx and prevents food and liquids from entering the airway.  In humans, the larynx is positioned much lower in body, which results in an increased risk of choking.  The position of the voice box also allows humans to have the diverse range of sounds associated with speech.  On the fetal pig below, the epiglottis can be seen at the back of the mouth.  The word epiglottis means “above the glottis”  where the glottis is the opening to the vocal folds.

 

epiglottis

 

This image shows the oral cavity of the human and the location of the epiglottis.  Note that the esophagus and the trachea share a single opening at the back of the throat (pharynx).  The epiglottis is important for preventing the aspiration of food particles during eating.

oral cavity

 

Google+
Email
Tweet
Share
Pinterest
Prev Article
Next Article

Related Articles

  Answers: A= Renal Vein B= Right Kidney C= Inferior …

Label the Urinary System

eye with lens
This dissected eye shows the clear gel that fill the …

Vitreous Humor of the Eye

This image shows the superior vena cava and the two …

Superior Vena Cava

In humans, the arch of the aorta has three main …

Brachiocephalic Artery in Cats

Search

Subscribe

Anatomy Corner

Page devoted to anatomy and physiology
Copyright © 2019 Anatomy Corner
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.