The Atheist's Dilemma

Yes, folks, that laryngeal nerve gradually crept down the giraffe's neck (it decided it wasn't comfortable going straight to the larynx) gradually over millions of years (all the while, the other end is attached to nothing), so that it can loop through the aorta and work its way back up to the larynx. How did that poor mute giraffe survive all those millions of years??