The Respiratory System
The portion of the respiratory system that is in the neck is not that exciting, unless you get excited about the trachea (A). Do not forget to look at the histology slide of the trachea. There are some other structures here of importance. On the lateral side of the caudal aspect of the larynx and cranial trachea, we find a firm glandular structure. The firmness is characteristic in most species that I have encountered. It is the thyroid gland (B). We will discuss its function in our last lecture. You will be responsible for identifying the thyroid gland in the lab. The common carotid artery (C) is the primary blood supply to the head. On the dorsal surface of this artery is the vagosympathetic trunk (D). The vagosympathetic trunk consists of the vagus nerve and sympathetic nerves.