Epiglottis

The epiglottis ( German: epiglottis ) is a closure at the larynx of mammals. During swallowing, the epiglottis is pressed passively against the laryngeal inlet and closes it incomplete.

The epiglottis is supported by the epiglottis cartilage ( cartilage epiglottica ). This cartilage, in contrast to the rest of the larynx skeleton composed of elastic cartilage. It consists of a stem ( petiole epiglotticus ) and a body. The stem is thyroepiglotticum through the ligament connected to the hyoid bone with the laryngeal prominence of the thyroid cartilage and ligament hyoepiglotticum. In horses, the stem bears on both sides a wedge of cartilage ( processus cuneiformis ) that supports the atrial fold ( plica vestibular ).