IOWA (KWQC) - Cooler temperatures and the changing of leaves mean fall for the Midwest, but for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, it means surveillance of Timber Rattlesnakes.

The department is currently testing rattlesnakes for a fungal disease called Anfibio Mycosis, which can cause significant population decline.

Veterinarian Rachel Ruden with the DNR said the fungus has been found on rattlesnakes in Iowa.

The fungus is simple to spot, she said, and can cause a significant problem when it comes to mobility.

“Sometimes it’s just a missing scale or like a discolored scale, and sometimes it’s these erosive lesions, where you have an open sore that is crusted over or scabbed over and so it’s another one of these stressors on wild animals,” Ruden said. “And so having these skin l

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