> [!quote] [Here’s why whales don’t drown when they gulp down food underwater](https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/01/220120125345.htm) via [[ScienceDaily]] on 2022-01-20 via [[University of British Columbia]] > > The researchers investigated fin whales specifically, a type of lunge-feeding whale and found the 'oral plug' needed to move in order to allow food to pass to the esophagus. The only way it could was towards the back of the head, and up, blocking off the nasal passages when the whale swallows. Simultaneously, cartilage closes at the entrance to the larynx, and the laryngeal sac moves upwards to block off the lower airways, says Dr. Gil. "We haven't seen this protective mechanism in any other animals, or in the literature. A lot of our knowledge about whales and dolphins comes from toothed whales, which have completely separated respiratory tracts, so similar assumptions have been made about lunge-feeding whales." > > It turns out humans have a similar system to swallow food without getting anything in their lungs: we have the epiglottis and soft palate, a 'lid' of cartilage and a flap of muscle in our throat and mouth, respectively. Humans could probably eat underwater as well, says Dr. Gil, but it would be rather like swimming at high speed towards a hamburger and opening your mouth wide as you approached -- difficult not to flood your lungs. > > The whales' oral plug and closing larynx is central to how lunge-feeding evolved, a key component in the enormous size of these creatures, the researchers say. "Bulk filter-feeding on krill swarms is highly efficient and the only way to provide the massive amount of energy needed to support such large body size. This would not be possible without the special anatomical features we have described," says senior author Dr. Robert Shadwick, a professor in the UBC department of zoology.