The larynx forms the connection between the pharynx and the tracheobronchial tree.

It lies below the pharynx and behind the mouth, suspended from the cranial base by the hyoid apparatus; in most species it is partly con­tained between the rami of the mandible and partly extended into the neck, where its cartilaginous skeleton is easily recognized on palpation of the living animal (Figure 4-8). Because of its connection with the tongue and hyoid apparatus, the larynx shifts its position when the animal swallows.