Humans have their eating hole in the same place as their breathing hole, which might be considered an example of poor evolutionary design. Certainly, it sometimes results in choking or trouble breathing when snack time doesn’t go as planned, but at least we’re not called upon to swallow food which is larger than our actual heads.
How do boa constrictors breathe while constricting their victims? A new study finds that snakes can switch which set of ribs they use to draw in air as they crush their meal before devouring it.