trachea

The human trachea, or windpipe. The larynx, or voice box, lies at the entrance to the trachea. The two vocal cords are membranes that normally remain open and still. When they are drawn together, the passage of air makes them vibrate and produce sounds.

Structure of a ciliated columnar epithelium, as found in the trachea. The goblet cells secrete mucus, which forms a protective mucal blanket that traps dust particles. The beating of the cilia moves the mucus away from the lungs.

Tube that forms an airway in air-breathing animals. In land-living vertebrates, including humans, it is also known as the windpipe and runs from the larynx to the upper part of the chest. Its diameter is about 1.5 cm/0.6 in and its length 10 cm/4 in. It is strong and flexible, and reinforced by rings of cartilage. In the upper chest, the trachea branches into two tubes: the left and right bronchi, which enter the lungs. Insects have a branching network of tubes called tracheae, which conduct air from holes (spiracles) in the body surface to all the body tissues. The finest branches of the tracheae are called tracheoles.

Some spiders also have tracheae but, unlike insects, they possess gill-like lungs (book lungs) and rely on their circulatory system to transport gases throughout the body.