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 the larynx 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 (Fig. 4.8). Because of its connection with the tongue and hyoid apparatus, the larynx shifts its position when the animal swallows.