throat, pharynx(noun) the passage to the stomach and lungs; in the front part of the neck below the chin and above the collarbone. throat(noun) an opening in the vamp of a shoe at the instep. throat(noun) a passage resembling a throat in shape or function.
One of the best examples is the difference between a dolphinfish and a dolphin. Dolphins are mammals and breathe air with lungs just like humans. There are many different dolphins species, including endangered river species, but all of them are in the same animal family (Delphinidae).
There are six species of dolphins commonly thought of as whales, collectively known as blackfish: the killer whale, the melon-headed whale, the pygmy killer whale, the false killer whale, and the two species of pilot whales, all of which are classified under the family Delphinidae and qualify as dolphins.