Baleen whales have an 'oral plug' to help them guzzle down food without choking

When fin whales capture their food, they end up scooping a lot of water into their mouths. Scientists in Canada have discovered a small, fatty structure in these marine mammals that may explain how they are able to engulf such vast amounts of prey-filled water without choking.

The oral plug was tightly wedged in place and could not be easily pushed free. When the researchers examined the muscle fibers of the soft palate, they concluded that the only way the oral plug could move for food to pass through during swallowing would be to shift backwards and upwards, and in doing so block the entry to the nasal cavities.

“Once the nasal cavities and the upper airways are protected, you have this question of how the lower airways would be protected, [such as] the lungs,” Gil says. She and her collaborators manipulated the cartilage of the larynx, or voicebox, to see how it might move during swallowing. They found that the cartilage at the top of the larynx can come together to create a seal that prevents food or water from accidentally getting into the respiratory tract.

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