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The pharynx is the part of the digestive system
of many animals immediately behind the mouth
and in front of the esophagus. In mammals, it is where the digestive tract and the respiratory
tract cross, commonly called the "throat" (which term may also include the larynx). The
human pharynx is bent at a sharper angle than other mammal pharynges, enabling us to
produce a wider variety of sounds, but also putting us in danger of choking.
The human pharynx is divided into three sections: the nasopharynx, lying behind the nasal cavity; the oropharynx, behind the oral cavity; and the
laryngopharynx, posterior to the larynx.
See also larynx, adenoid, tonsil, Eustachian tube, uvula, hyoid.
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