'Stay away' from 'Frankenrabbits' found with black tentacles growing from heads

A mysterious virus is transforming rabbits in the US 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.

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 “black quills or black toothpicks sticking out all around his or her mouth.” She told 9News: “I thought he would die off during the winter, but he didn’t. He came back a second year, and it grew.” Another witness described the infected animal as having “a scabbiesh-looking growth over their face.”

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The culprit behind these eerie deformities is cottontail papilloma virus (CRPV), also known as Shope papilloma virus, which triggers tumour growths around the rabbits’ heads. Parasites such as fleas and ticks transmit the virus through their bites, according to Pet MD.

“Typically rabbits become infected in the warmer months of summer when transmitted by being bitten by insects like fleas and ticks,” 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.

In 2013, a Minnesota resident sparked a media frenzy with a video of a rabbit covered in tendrils, dubbing it a “Frankenstein” bunny and drawing comparisons to the mythical Jackalope - a long-running hoax created by antlered taxidermy rabbits.

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.

While some cases resolve naturally, the growths can become so large that they prevent the animal from eating, leading to starvation.

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.

At present, there is no known cure for CRPV.