Main . When ancestral whales returned to the sea from the land, their new environment posed fundamental adaptive problems for their vocal communication, including inhaling and exhaling massive volumes of air during explosive surface breathing, avoiding choking and drowning, and preserving air while vocalizing underwater1 , 6. Because the mammalian larynx serves dual uses, for both airway protection and phonation, this required changes in laryngeal form and function. One solution ...