Why do desert lizards excrete salt when they sneeze?

The Chuckwalla is a stocky, flattened lizard native to the arid regions of the American Southwest and northern Mexico. It has a habit of expelling salt when it sneezes, according to a zookeeper at the Boston Museum of Science.

Why Desert Lizards Sneeze - YouTube


These Desert Lizards Have to Sneeze Salt to Stay Alive : ScienceAlert
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A male zookeeper said, 'Part of my job is to clean the lizards' noses.'

The man is caring for a chuckwalla named 'Rocky.'

There is a large amount of white dirt on the back of the glass case, which is dried mucus that the Chuckwalla produces when it sneezes.

Chuckwalla doesn't sneeze because he's sick, and his runny nose isn't just a runny nose.

The nasal mucus of the Chuckwalla contains potassium chloride and sodium chloride, and when it sneezes, it expels excess salt from its body along with the mucus. The white stains on the glass display case are also due to the large amount of salt in the mucus.

The Chuckwalla lives in the desert regions of the Americas.

To adapt to the harsh desert environment, Chuckwallas get most of their water from desert plants, but the plants they eat contain a lot of salt, which can cause excess salt to accumulate in their bodies, leading to dehydration.

So, Chuckwalla's bodies have developed glands that collect excess salt from the bloodstream, and when these glands have collected enough salt, they excrete it through sneezing.

The snot of Chuckwallas, which contains a lot of salt, has been nicknamed 'snalt' by breeders, a combination of 'salt' and 'snot.'

Marine iguanas , which eat seaweed, and mangrove monitor lizards , which drink seawater, also have the habit of spraying salty water.