Mysterious fungus threatens to wipe out snakes in 9 states

A mysterious fungus is spreading across the western part of Vermont threatening the extinction of snakes

A fungus, identified native to at least nine Eastern states is threatening endangered rattlesnakes found in Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and New York. The Massasauga Rattlesnake has already been a candidate for the federal endangered species list prior to the spreading of the fungus.

MUNTINLUPA CITY, PHILIPPINES (Catholic Online) - Massasauga snakes are threatened to near extinction in the remote part of the western Vermont. A mysterious fungus spreading in the area is responsible for the death of several rattlesnakes slithering in the area.

Biologists have compared the recent appearance with the fungus that causes white nose syndrome in bats. The same fungus appeared in 2006 and killed millions of creatures, as it continuously spreads in North America. Studies on whether this recent fungus is related to the 2006 fungus in North America are not verified.

The disease killing the snakes is being identified as the snake fungal disease called "ophidiomyces ophiodiicola." The disease is being identified for whether it was brought in to the United States and originated elsewhere. The same incident occurred for the white nose fungus almost a decade ago. Biologists tried identifying if the fungus was always present in the environment and for some reason just now started to infect snakes.

Biologists Doug Blodgett of the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife, has been studying the population for 15 years. According to him, they are trying all the conservation efforts that could protect the last remaining population of the Massasuaga rattlesnakes. "We don't have any control over it. It's just completely out there in the wild."

Fifteen percent of the total population of these rattlesnake are infected with the disease. Among those infected snakes, a mortality rate of 80 to 90 percent has been recorded. When compared to timber rattlesnakes, 30 to 70 percent of the infested cold blooded die.

The impact of the fungus to the Massasauga snake is predicted to play a significant part in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's determination on whether they are going to list the snakes on the endangered animals list, according to officials.

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