The Trachea (Windpipe)

breathing · human body · super cool tubes

Air highway. Your trachea is like a tube tunnel that lets air travel from your throat down to your lungs so you can breathe. It's also called your windpipe, and it's in almost all land animals that have lungs too.

Horseshoe rings. The trachea is made of horseshoe-shaped rings of cartilage, the same bendy stuff that makes up your ears. These rings are stacked on top of each other and held together by ligaments, kind of like a stack of elastic-band strengthened donuts.

Safe swallowing. When you swallow food or drink, a special flap called the epiglottis closes off the top of your trachea so nothing accidentally goes into your lungs instead of your stomach. Pretty amazing that your body knows when to switch modes.

Branching paths. At the bottom of your trachea, it splits into two tubes called bronchi that go into your left and right lungs. It's like a tree trunk splitting into two main branches.

Cartilage strength. Cartilage is softer and more flexible than bone, which makes your trachea bendy enough to move with your neck but strong enough to stay open so air can always flow through.