Question

Can Marine animals like dolphins or whales choke on their food like humans (can the food go down the wrong "tube")?

Answer 1

Ans:+

In humans, your "air tube" and your "food tube" are next to each other and there's a little flap (the epiglottis) that opens or closes depending on if we're breathing/talking or eating/drinking. Sometimes we mess it up a little and we either swallow some air, or inhale some food/liquid.

In whales and dolphins, their esophagus is connected to their mouth, but they breathe through their blowholes on top of their heads (they can't breathe through their mouths like humans). There would literally be no way for them to accidentally inhale water/food and choke like humans can.

IIRC, there's a reflex that prevents the blowhole from opening while underwater, and this makes it extremely difficult for dolphins/whales to choke or drown