Rabbit with tentacles in Colorado? See if these infected rabbits have been spotted in Florida
Cottontail rabbits with horn-like growths on their heads have appeared in Colorado, sparking concern over their health risk to humans and other animals.
Are there really "Frankstein" rabbits walking, or more so hopping, among us? And have these rabbits been spotted in Florida? Here's what to know.
What is 'Frankenstein's rabbit'? What is the virus on rabbits with horns?
These "Frankenstein" rabbits seen in Colorado are infected with the Shope papilloma virus, also known as the cottontail cutaneous papilloma virus.
According to ScienceDirect, it is an oncogenic virus that causes horny warts primarily on the neck, shoulders, and abdomen of cottontail rabbits. While it is not extremely common, it is not considered a rare virus.
Despite its appearance, the growths have no significant effects on wild rabbits unless they impact the rabbit's eyes or mouth. It can then interfere with seeing, eating or drinking.
Is rabbit papilloma contagious to humans?
No, it is not contagious to humans. It specifically infects rabbits, so other animals are not at risk either.
It is still recommended by experts not to touch or interact with infected animals. They also note the virus can spread through direct contact and can infect domestic rabbits housed outdoors.
How do rabbits get papillomavirus?
It is transmitted by biting arthropods, especially continental rabbit ticks, reduvid bugs, and mosquitoes.
"Typically, rabbits become infected in the warmer months of summer when transmitted by being bitten by insects like fleas and ticks, then clears from the system in colder months and the rabbits are typically fine," Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson Kara Van Hoose said in a public statement.
How do you treat papillomavirus in rabbits?
According to Pet MD, surgical removal of the tumors is typically recommended since the nodules may become malignant; however, they do occasionally resolve themselves on their own.
Have these rabbits been spotted in Florida?
Florida is home to two native rabbit species: the Eastern cottontail and the marsh rabbit. As of Aug. 13, there have been no reports of Shope papillomavirus in Florida's rabbit populations recently.
However, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services has confirmed five cases of Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus, Type 2 (RHDV-2) in domestic rabbits since 2020. This deadly virus has not been detected in wild rabbits.
Contributing: Miles Blumhardt, Fort Collins Coloradoan
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Colorado rabbits with tentacles? Florida;' reported rabbit diseases
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San Francisco Chronicle
5 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Rabbits with 'horns' in Colorado are being called 'Frankenstein bunnies.' Here's why
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Boston Globe
7 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Rabbits with ‘horns' in Colorado are being called ‘Frankenstein bunnies.' Here's why.
The virus likely influenced the centuries-old jackalope myth in North America, which told of a rabbit with antlers or horns, among other animal variations. The disease in rabbits also contributed to scientists' knowledge about the connection between viruses and cancer, such as the human papillomavirus that causes cervical cancer. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up This photo provided by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources shows a deceased Eastern cottontail rabbit infected with Shope papillomavirus in October 2021. Uncredited/Associated Press Advertisement The virus in rabbits was named after Dr. Richard E Shope, a professor at The Rockefeller University who discovered the disease in cottontails in the 1930s. News about the rabbit sightings in Fort Collins, 65 miles north of Denver, started getting attention after residents started spotting them around town and posting pictures. Kara Van Hoose, a spokesperson for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that the agency has been getting calls about the rabbits seen in Fort Collins. But she said that it's not uncommon to see infected rabbits, especially in the summer, when the fleas and ticks that spread the virus are most active. The virus can spread from rabbit to rabbit but not to other species, including humans and pets, she said. Advertisement The growths resemble warts but can look like horns if they grow longer, Van Hoose said. The growths don't harm rabbits unless they grow on their eyes or mouths and interfere with eating. Rabbits' immune systems are able to fight the virus and, once they do, the growths will disappear, she said. ___ Finley reported from Norfolk, Virginia.
New York Post
a day ago
- New York Post
Freaky ‘Frankenstein' rabbits have been spotted in these 2 states: ‘They're all over here'
It's hare today, gone tomorrow — thanks to a face full of freaky tentacles. The grotesque 'Frankenstein'-esque rabbits — once just a Colorado curiosity — are now turning up in Minnesota and Nebraska, their furry faces sprouting grotesque horn- and tentacle-like growths straight out of a B-movie. The unsettling deformities are the calling card of cottontail papilloma virus (CRPV), also known as Shope papilloma virus — a bug that turns harmless bunnies into nightmare fuel. The DNA-twisting illness is spread when mosquitoes, ticks, or fleas bite an infected rabbit and then pass it along to others. While the virus doesn't affect humans or pets like dogs and cats, wildlife officials are warning: look, don't touch. 4 Mother Nature's gone mad scientist on America's rabbits, with more and more 'Frankenbunnies' emerging in two additional states. Universal Images Group via Getty Images First, the infection appears as small, red bumps. Then, as the virus works its dark magic, the spots erupt into wart-like tumors — which can harden into keratinized papillomas, the bizarre 'horns' and 'tentacles' now haunting Midwestern lawns. In some cases, those warts morph into deadly skin cancer. And this summer could be prime bunny-horror season: mosquito and tick numbers soar in the warm months, giving CRPV plenty of winged and crawling couriers to spread it across the heartland. 4 The freaky growths are the handiwork of cottontail papilloma virus — aka Shope papilloma virus — a bug that turns cuddly bunnies into straight-up nightmares. Universal Images Group via Getty Images Locals in Fort Collins, Colorado, have been spotting the deformed rabbits for weeks. Resident Susan Mansfield told 9News she saw one with what looked like '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.' On Reddit, one Minnesotan recently reported seeing the phenomenon 'for the last few years in Minnesota,' adding that the rabbits around them 'died off who had it.' Another chimed in: 'They're all over here in St. Paul. When I google them, it's hundreds of MN based photos.' 4 Summer could be peak bunny-horror season: swarms of mosquitoes and ticks are spreading CRPV across the Midwest. Gunnar Boettcher/AP Meanwhile in Nebraska, one shocked resident posted a video of a bunny with the same creepy, fleshy appendages sprouting from its head and dangling beneath its mouth. CRPV isn't new — scientists have known about it for decades. In 2013, a Minnesota man's video of a tendril-ridden rabbit went viral, with viewers comparing it to the fabled Jackalope. While the virus is harmless to people, it can be deadly for the rabbits — sometimes growing so large that the twisted protrusions block their mouths, causing starvation, as per The Daily Mail. 4 Reddit users from Minnesota and Nebraska are sharing sightings of the freaky, tentacle-faced rabbits hopping through their neighborhoods. Reddit/Different_Try3353 And in domestic bunnies, the growths can lead to squamous cell carcinoma, a potentially fatal skin cancer. With no cure, experts warn to keep pets away, resist the urge to 'help,' and unfortunately let nature — however nightmarish — run its course.
