{"id":889400,"date":"2026-06-24T12:05:24","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T12:05:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/889400\/"},"modified":"2026-06-24T12:05:24","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T12:05:24","slug":"frankenstein-rabbits-with-tentacle-like-growths-are-appearing-across-the-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/889400\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Frankenstein\u2019 Rabbits With Tentacle-Like Growths Are Appearing Across the US"},"content":{"rendered":"

You scroll past it on Reddit and do a double-take. A cottontail rabbit in Colorado<\/a> with dark, twisted growths erupting from its skull like something from a Guillermo del Toro storyboard. Similar images have surfaced from Wisconsin, Minnesota, and New York, flooding feeds with alarm and disbelief. Wildlife agencies, however, aren\u2019t sounding alarms. What you\u2019re looking at is Shope papillomavirus<\/a><\/strong> \u2014 a rabbit-specific disease<\/a> that scientists have known about since the 1930s<\/strong>. The virus just got a social media moment.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s Actually Growing Out of These Rabbits?<\/p>\n

The horror-movie visuals have a surprisingly boring medical explanation: warts.<\/p>\n

Shope papillomavirus, also called cottontail rabbit papillomavirus (CRPV)<\/a>, is a DNA virus that triggers dark, wart-like skin growths on rabbits\u2019 heads, ears, necks, and faces. In severe cases, multiple growths cluster together into something resembling a keratinized crown. Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson Kara Van Hoose described them as \u201creally more like warts,\u201d according to Fox Weather<\/a>. Those roadside jackalope souvenirs lining gift-shop shelves across the Southwest? Scientists suspect SPV-infected rabbits inspired that entire mythology.<\/p>\n

Most infected cottontails survive. Colorado Parks and Wildlife states that<\/a> \u201cmost infected cottontails can survive the viral infection, after which the growths will go away.\u201d Severe cases, however, tell a different story. Papillomas can transform into squamous cell carcinoma<\/strong>. Large growths can seal a rabbit\u2019s eyes or mouth shut, leading to starvation or serious functional impairment.<\/p>\n

The virus itself doesn\u2019t cause pain. The consequences do.<\/p>\n

Should You Worry \u2013 About Yourself or Your Pets?<\/p>\n

SPV is a rabbit problem, not a human one \u2014 but domestic rabbit owners should still pay attention.<\/p>\n

SPV infects rabbits and hares. Full stop. No documented cases of human transmission exist \u2014 not through insect bites, not through contact \u2014 according to PetMD<\/a> and The Open Sanctuary Project. The virus spreads between rabbits primarily via mosquitoes, ticks, and fleas<\/strong> rather than direct contact. Nothing about this is new. Social media just handed a 90-year-old wildlife disease a megaphone.<\/p>\n

If you keep a domestic rabbit, sharpen up. Pet<\/a> rabbits can contract SPV from wild carriers or shared insect vectors, and the disease tends to hit them harder, with a higher risk of malignant transformation, according to PetMD<\/a>. To reduce your rabbit\u2019s exposure:<\/p>\n