![\"Vadnais](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1_Eastern-Cottontail-rabbit-with-the-papilloma-virus.jpg\")
A virus has caused the rabbits to grow spikes (Image: Universal Images Group via Getty Images)<\/p>\nThe so-called Frankenbunnies have been spotted with what locals describe as ‘black quills or toothpicks sticking out all around’ their mouths thanks to a virusA virus has caused the rabbits to grow spikes (Image: Universal Images Group via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
A mysterious virus is transforming rabbits in the US<\/a> into alien-looking creatures with black tentacle-like growths sprouting from their heads. Authorities have urged the public to steer clear of the affected animals<\/a>.<\/p>\n The so-called Frankenbunnies have been reported multiple times in Fort Collins, Colorado. Local resident Susan Mansfield said she spotted a cottontail rabbit covered in what appeared to be \u201cblack quills or black toothpicks sticking out all around his or her mouth.\u201d She told 9News: \u201cI thought he would die off during the winter, but he didn\u2019t. He came back a second year, and it grew.\u201d Another witness described the infected animal as having \u201ca scabbiesh-looking growth over their face.\u201d<\/p>\n The culprit behind these eerie deformities is cottontail papilloma virus (CRPV), also known as Shope papilloma virus, which triggers tumour growths around the rabbits\u2019 heads. Parasites such as fleas and ticks transmit the virus through their bites, according to Pet MD.<\/p>\n \u201cTypically rabbits become infected in the warmer months of summer when transmitted by being bitten by insects like fleas and ticks,\u201d explained Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson Kara Van Hoose, the Coloradoan reports. While the latest sightings are from Colorado, the virus is most commonly found in the Midwest.<\/p>\n In 2013, a Minnesota resident sparked a media frenzy with a video of a rabbit covered in tendrils, dubbing it a \u201cFrankenstein\u201d bunny and drawing comparisons to the mythical Jackalope – a long-running hoax created by antlered taxidermy rabbits.<\/p>\n Wildlife experts are now warning people not to approach or handle the affected rabbits. CRPV does not pose a threat to humans or pets, even though it spreads easily among wild rabbits, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The infected rabbits, however, often face grim outcomes.<\/p>\n While some cases resolve naturally, the growths can become so large that they prevent the animal from eating, leading to starvation.<\/p>\n Domestic rabbits are particularly vulnerable, with the risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma – a serious and potentially fatal skin cancer. Experts advise keeping pets away from wild rabbits to avoid infection.<\/p>\n At present, there is no known cure for CRPV.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The so-called Frankenbunnies have been spotted with what locals describe as ‘black quills or toothpicks sticking out all…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":65501,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[2851,90,56,54,158,55,4407],"class_list":["post-65500","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-animals","tag-science","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-united-states","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65500","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=65500"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/65500\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/65501"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=65500"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=65500"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=65500"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Vadnais](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2_Eastern-Cottontail-rabbit-with-the-papilloma-virus.jpg\")
The deformities have been caused by cottontail papilloma virus (CRPV)(Image: Universal Images Group via Getty Images)READ MORE: ‘I have nightmares over pocket bully dog attack which left me in hospital for days’<\/a>READ MORE: Cat behaviourist explains reason cats ‘hate’ closed doors and what to do instead<\/a><\/p>\n