By “we” I suppose I mean all vertebrates? Are there any exceptions?
It seems to me like having your digestive tract be separate from your breathing tract could be a beneficial mutation. Why do we have a single tract with valves to switch between “stomach mode” and “breathing mode”? Are there any advantages to it?
In: Biology
Well, obvious exceptions are whales (and possibly dolphins, not sure about those though)–they breathe entirely through the blowhole on top of their head, so they can’t actually breathe through their mouth. This is obviously an adaptation imposed by them being aquatic animals. I suppose it’s difficult to see how regular land mammals would get a similar adaptation, though–where would the breathing hole go?
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