These findings have significant implications both for wild snakes in Arizona, including the threatened gartersnakes, rattlesnakes and other native species, as well as for the release of 38 narrow-headed gartersnakes born in captivity as part of NAU\u2019s captive breeding facility, which Nowak, an assistant research professor in the School of Earth and Sustainability and Department of Biological Sciences, oversees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI have concerns that this disease could affect\nrattlesnake species that hibernate in communal dens at higher elevation, as it\nhas with similar species in northeastern U.S. states,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have\nstarted collecting samples from some of these populations in Arizona, and\ncontinued monitoring of populations\u2014and education of researchers, recreational\nherpetologists and others visiting these dens\u2014will be important to identify\ndisease presence and prevent its spread should it eventually show up in Arizona\nrattlesnakes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Current and former graduate students Kayla\nLauger, Iain Emmons and Rex Bergamini, along with current and former\nundergraduate students Hannah Wilson, Cassidy Klovanish, Bryan Carlin and\nKarina Cocks and Basis Flagstaff student Danna Du collected skin swabs from\nmore than 60 wild snakes in northern Arizona, including the federally threatened\nnarrow-headed gartersnakes, which\nare only found in Oak Creek Canyon and one or two other areas nationwide.\nAllender and his team tested the swabs and determined two snakes were positive\nfor the disease: one juvenile narrow-headed gartersnake and one adult Sonoran\nmountain kingsnake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nresearch raised other questions as well, as neither affected snake had symptoms\ntypically associated with the disease. The findings are worrisome\u2014but exactly how\nworrisome, even the researchers don\u2019t know yet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cThe\nimpact of this disease on native populations is unknown, but significant\nimpacts have been observed in threatened populations of timber rattlesnakes and\neastern massasaugas on the East Coast and in the Midwest,\u201d Allender said. \u201cIt\nis certainly possible that some mortality may occur, but follow-up studies are\nneeded to truly determine if this is a conservation threat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Snake\nfungal disease was initially reported in Illinois and New Hampshire in 2008; it\u2019s\nsince been observed in 30 states. The disease-causing fungus is similar to the\nfungus that causes white-nose syndrome, which has killed millions of bats\nthroughout the United States in the last 15 years. Researchers can\u2019t say if\nthis disease has a similar migration pattern and thus far appears to be less\ndeadly to snakes. Of course, with the gartersnake population already being so small,\nany threat is a concern. Additionally, Allender said any factor that changes an\necosystem has effects that we may not realize until they\u2019ve already occurred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The next\nbig question is the effect this discovery will have on the gartersnakes being\nraised in captivity with the intent to release them into the wild. Knowing this\nfungus is present in Arizona changes the calculations that go into that decision.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRelease\nof headstarted individuals should always be done with care, but in cases where\ndisease may play a role, it should be done judiciously,\u201d Allender said. \u201cWe\nwouldn\u2019t want our efforts to be thwarted by a disease that can potentially kill\nall released snakes. Furthermore, we wouldn\u2019t want to release carrier animals\nthat could infect wild individuals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nresearchers will discuss various plans and responsibly assess the risk and\nbenefit of release programs to maintain the overall goal of conserving the species,\nthough Nowak said they are optimistic that a variety of options remain open to\nthem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Heidi Toth | NAU Communications
(928) 523-8737 | heidi.toth@nau.edu<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"