Kids Research Express

. Larynx, hollow chamber in which the voice is produced, at the front or upper part of the windpipe of mammals, frogs, and toads; it is also called the voice box. In mammals it leads from the lower portion of the pharynx to the trachea and is situated in front of or ventral to the esophagus, behind the skin and connective tissue of the throat. The larynx is supported by ligaments from the hyoid bone, situated at the base of the tongue. The skeletal structure of the larynx is made up of three large cartilaginous structures, the epiglottis, thyroid cartilage, and cricoid cartilage, and of several pairs of small cartilages, the most important of which are known as arytenoid cartilages. The epiglottis is a broad cartilage attached in front to the top of the thyroid cartilage. The epiglottis swings over the opening from the pharynx into the voice box. When an animal swallows, the larynx is raised to press against the epiglottis and root of the tongue, preventing food from entering the air p...

. Air moves from the pharynx to the larynx, a structure about 5 cm (2 in) long located approximately in the middle of the neck. Several layers of cartilage, a tough and flexible tissue, comprise most of the larynx. A protrusion in the cartilage called the Adam’s apple sometimes enlarges in males during puberty, creating a prominent bulge visible on the neck. While the primary role of the larynx is to transport air to the trachea, it also serves other functions. It plays a primary role in producing sound; it prevents food and fluid from entering the air passage to cause choking; and its mucous membranes and cilia-bearing cells help filter air. The cilia in the larynx waft airborne particles up toward the pharynx to be swallowed. Food and fluids from the pharynx usually are prevented from entering the larynx by the epiglottis, a thin, leaflike tissue. The “stem” of the leaf attaches to the front and top of the larynx. When a person is breathing, the epiglottis is held in a vertical posit...