Do snakes sneeze?

Large dog Tralfaz had a sneezing attack, three in a row, to which each got a "Bless you!" from me. His sneezes really seem to take a toll. I'm the same way.

It occurred to me that sneezing is one of the things that dogs and people do similarly. We don't walk or run the same way, due to the leg-number situation, and on that note we don't release waste products the same way. We don't eat the same way -- dogs have atrocious table manners -- and we certainly don't drink the same way. Dogs' method of drinking is pretty comical when you look at it. They seem to work awfully hard to take in small amounts of water. An alcoholic dog would have a rough time of it. (Or a "ruff" time! Har har never mind.)

True, dogs don't cover their noses when they sneeze, but neither do a lot of people I won't name but will be silently judging.

I suppose that the further something lies from us in the animal kingdom, the less things we do in a similar way. You read a lot of little known facts along those lines online all the time. "The Madagascar Zoonie Fly only drinks by absorbing water through its wings!" -- I just made that up, but it's the kind of thing we learn when we look around at the various critters in our world. Some things on this earth are more alien than anything any SF writer ever dreamed up.

It got me to wondering if snakes sneeze. Reptiles are a giant step away from us, away from live birth and warm blood and into egg-laying and cold blood. I understand that snakes smell with their tongues. But they seem to have li'l baby snake nostrils. So, sneeze?

Yes! Kind of. But apparently it's bad news if they do. It's apparently not a sneeze like we on the mammal side of the tracks know it, because snakes have no diaphragm, which in us is a key mover in the sneeze operation. So if a snake is doing something that sounds like a sneeze, it could be a sign of an infection or another problem. On the other hand, iguanas and some other lizards sneeze salt, which sounds like the makings of a cheap monster movie to me (Saltzooka! King of the Salt Lizards).

Having solved the riddle of reptile sneezing, I decided to see if bugs sneeze. They do not. Which is good. I'd hate to see a little ladybug blow herself across the room.

But maybe they're missing out. There is something almost satisfying in a really good sneeze. I almost enjoy it, if it doesn't hurt and I don't embarrass myself with a lot of nasal discharge. I wonder if the dogs enjoy a good sneezeroo too.

And I note that we're supposed to get a lot of snow and ice this weekend. I wonder if Saltzooka is busy...?