Would an SD card still work after being swallowed and recovered?

Possibly yes, but it’s risky and not reliable.

SD and microSD cards are fairly durable, and many better-quality cards are water-resistant enough that brief exposure to moisture alone may not destroy them. The community examples suggest cards can sometimes remain readable even after severe abuse.

That said, survival after being swallowed depends on the specific card, how well it’s sealed, how long it remains inside the body, and whether it is bent, chewed, or otherwise damaged. Stomach acid and physical stress could still ruin it.

The bigger concern is personal safety: swallowing a card creates a choking hazard and other medical risks. If your real goal is protecting images, the safer practical ideas raised were to use a very small microSD card, shoot to two cards if your camera supports it, or rely on the fact that a freshly formatted card may still allow later image recovery.

So: yes, an SD card may still be readable after recovery, but it should not be considered a dependable or safe method of protecting photos.