Humans are the only mammal that can’t swallow and breathe at the same time.

Swallow and Breathe

Fact: Humans are the only mammal that can’t swallow and breathe at the same time.

Every other mammal, and many other non-mammalian animals, can breathe while they eat. In fact, human infants are also able to do so, which lets them breathe while they nurse. We lose this ability around the age of 9 months, when our voice box drops as part of our development. As children and adults, the human voice box lays unusually low in the neck compared to other animals. This allows sound to resonate much more, which is why we are able to produce the wide range of sounds that makes up our speech.