‘Frankenstein’ Rabbits With Face Tentacles Plague Colorado

Cottontail rabbits with tentacles sprouting from their faces have been appearing in Fort Collins, Colorado, according to local residents.

One woman said she saw a rabbit with “black quills or black toothpicks sticking out all around his or her mouth.”

“I thought he would die off during the winter, but he didn’t,” she said. “He came back a second year, and it grew.”

The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Service says the “Frankenstein” rabbits are suffering from cottontail papilloma virus, also called the Shope papilloma virus, a skin virus that produces black, horn-like growths, mainly around the head.

Despite their terrifying appearance, the growths aren’t inherently harmful to the rabbits. However, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Service notes that excessive growth around the eyes and mouth can prevent them from seeing and eating, leading to starvation.

🚨 WARNING: “Frankenstein” rabbits with black, spike-like growths on their heads are spreading across the US.
Experts say it’s a viral infection and warn: Do NOT touch them. pic.twitter.com/HOsKuvbC6s

— Wienerdogwifi (@wienerdogwifi) August 13, 2025

“Most infected cottontails can survive the viral infection, after which the growths will go away.”

The virus is more likely to spread in the summer, when there is a proliferation of insects capable of transmitting it. It can also spread through direct contact.

The disease is specific to rabbits and does not seem to pose a threat to humans or other animals. Wildlife experts still advise people not to approach infected rabbits.

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However, it can still be contracted by domestic rabbits, which experience a more severe reaction. The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Service advises pet owners to visit a veterinarian if this happens.

The Shope papilloma virus is thought to have inspired the “jackalope,” a mythological creature that possesses the body of a jackrabbit and the horns of an antelope.

The Frankenstein rabbits are not the only strange creatures to make headlines recently. Radioactive “hot wasps” have been discovered near a South Carolina nuclear site. The Department of Energy says the four wasp nests do not pose a threat to humans.