Latest news with #Shope
San Francisco Chronicle
3 hours ago
- Health
- San Francisco Chronicle
Rabbits with 'horns' in Colorado are being called 'Frankenstein bunnies.' Here's why
DENVER (AP) — A group of rabbits in Colorado with grotesque, hornlike growths may seem straight out of a low-budget horror film, but scientists say there's no reason to be spooked — the furry creatures merely have a relatively common virus. The cottontails recently spotted in Fort Collins are infected with the mostly harmless Shope papillomavirus, which causes wart-like growths that protrude from their faces like metastasizing horns. Viral photos have inspired a fluffle of unflattering nicknames, including 'Frankenstein bunnies,' 'demon rabbits' and 'zombie rabbits.' But their affliction is nothing new, with the virus inspiring ancient folklore and fueling scientific research nearly 100 years ago. 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. 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 (105 kilometers) 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. 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.
AFP
3 hours ago
- Health
- AFP
Panic spreads over exaggerated claims of 'tentacled' rabbits invading US
"WARNING: 'DO NOT TOUCH!' - RABBITS INFECTED WITH BLACK TENTACLE VIRUS," says an August 14, 2025 Facebook post sharing dramatic photos of rabbits with growths on their heads. "In Colorado, wild rabbits are being found with black, horn-like growths erupting from their heads caused by a mysterious viral infection. Officials warn it can spread to pets through direct contact. #rabbitsinfected #blacktentaclesvirus." Image Screenshot of a Facebook post taken August 15, 2025 The images circulated widely across social media, with some posts suggesting that people shoot the infected animals if encountered in the wild. "If I see tentacles sprouting out of somebody's head because they decided to touch one of the ... rabbits, click clack boom," a person says in an August 13 video viewed on TikTok. Computer-generated images of bunnies with tentacles coming out of their noses . But wildlife experts told AFP that while the posts reference a real disease, they are (archived here). The condition is not new and does not pose a serious threat to humans or other animal species. The reported sightings likely stem from the same few rabbits being spotted by different residents, Colorado wildlife services said, and most rabbits can live normally with the condition, which occasionally clears on its own. Advanced cases of the condition have been documented over the years. , for instance, able to identify the rabbit in one of the pictures shared online as a taxidermied cottontail from the University of Kansas Natural History Museum's collection (archived here). Image A screenshot of an image used in August 2025 social media posts taken August 15, 2025 Image Screenshot taken August 15, 2025 of a photo embedded in a 2015 history blogpost 'Same rabbits' Kara Van Hoose, northeast region public information officer for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, told AFP on August 13 that the pictures likely show an outbreak of Shope papillomavirus in the Fort Collins area (archived here and here). "We have started to take more reports of rabbits in the northern Colorado area affected with the virus since photos were first published last Friday," she told AFP . "We're up to maybe a dozen or so reports, but it's most likely people reporting the same rabbits and not a dozen rabbits infected." The disease, spread through biting insects including fleas and ticks, causes wart-like growths, on the face and neck of rabbits. The animals can also clear the virus from in most cases, which remain benign. "We would be concerned only if the growths are on the eyes or impede the rabbit's ability to eat," Van Hoose said. growths on rabbits have been observed in the United States for well over a hundred years, experts say, and were first documented by Richard Shope in 1933 (archived here). The cases are even thought to have the American myth of the "jackalope" (archived here). "Using historical specimens in mammal collections here at the University of Kansas, we have been able to recover the virus from a hundred-year-old preserved specimen of an eastern cottontail," said Robert Timm, an associate professor from the University of Kansas (archived here). Timm also dismissed the claims that the August 2025 sightings amount to a "recent invasion" "The virus has been in the environment for perhaps tens of thousands of years," he said August 14. Colorado Parks and Wildlife does not recommend killing the infected rabbits if found in nature, but "as with any wildlife, pets should not interact or come in contact with the rabbits," Van Hoose said. Karen Fox, a pathologist at the Colorado State University Veterinary Diagnostic Lab (archived here), confirmed the virus does not affect humans, dogs, or cats. Domesticated bunnies, however, are at risk of catching the virus from a wild infected specimen. Fox cautioned the disease "is often more severe in pet rabbits than in wild rabbits." "The best way to prevent infections in pet rabbits is to keep pet rabbits indoors, especially during the summer and fall months when insect activity is highest," she told AFP on August 15. According to University of Kansas's Timm, there are no known cases of this virus ever being transmitted to humans either from mosquitoes or . previously investigated other claims about wild animals and viruses.
Arab Times
5 hours ago
- Health
- Arab Times
Horned Rabbits? Here's the Weird but True Story
DENVER (AP) — A group of rabbits in Colorado with grotesque, hornlike growths may seem straight out of a low-budget horror film, but scientists say there's no reason to be spooked — the furry creatures merely have a relatively common virus. The cottontails recently spotted in Fort Collins are infected with the mostly harmless Shope papillomavirus, which causes wart-like growths that protrude from their faces like metastasizing horns. Viral photos have inspired a fluffle of unflattering nicknames, including 'Frankenstein bunnies,' 'demon rabbits' and 'zombie rabbits.' But their affliction is nothing new, with the virus inspiring ancient folklore and fueling scientific research nearly 100 years ago. 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. 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. 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 (105 kilometers) 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. 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.
Boston Globe
5 hours ago
- Health
- 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.
Buzz Feed
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Rabbits With Tentacles, And 17 Other Freaky Animal Pics
You know when you see a photo so strange, it makes you cringe all over, but yet you simultaneously can't look away? Well, that's exactly how I feel when I see photos of weird animal mutations, or especially strange animal species. They just feel uncanny, And because everyone's been talking about the rabbits with tentacles lately — more on that in a sec — I figured, hey, may as well compile a whole post full of freaky animal photos. If you're in need of a distraction, I'm your gal today, because these photos are so shocking, they'll definitely take your mind away from everything else. So here we go! Prepare to be a bit disturbed. Here is the "Frankenstein rabbit," or rabbit with tentacles, as spotted in Colorado. The reason for the mutation is they're infected with the "mostly harmless" Shope papillomavirus. Here is a walking fish from Mexico. They're actually aquatic salamander, not fish, and their technical name is "axolotl." Here is a leafy seadragon, found on the coasts of Australia. They belong to the same family as the seahorse, but they're experts at camouflage, unlike seahorses. Here is a star-nosed mole. They're semi-aquatic, so they're part-land, part-water animals, and they're found in parts of North America. People have called their nose "the nose that sees" because of how powerful it is. Here is a close-up of a two-headed snake. This one is really rare, and it's the cause of a birth defect, when an embryo doesn't totally split. If we ever get Rep TV, can this be on the cover, please?! Here is a blue dragon sea slug, also called a blue glaucus or glaucus atlanticus. They live throughout the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans, and float on their backs. Most interestingly, though, they look almost iridescent. Here is a skinny pig; it's like a guinea pig, but with almost no hair. These guys exist due to a genetic mutation, and they've only been around for less than 50 years. Here is a glass frog from Columbia and Central America. They're also called transluscent frogs, because you can see their internal organs through their skin. Here is a long-horned orb-weaver spider. Yes, that's a real name, but it's also called the macracantha. Either way, it's pretty freakin' terrifying. Here is a — get ready for this one — warty frogfish. Yes, look at that skin! These ones are found in the Indo-Pacific region. Here is a close-up of a fennec fox. They're nocturnal animals from North Africa, and they use their unusually large ears to combat the heat. Here is a Chinese mitten crab, or Shanghai hairy crab, named for its hairy claws. They're native to the Yellow Sea, but it's also the "only freshwater crab found in North America." Here is a raccoon dog from eastern Asia. Believe it or not, these are technically part of the dog family, and they're mostly nocturnal. Here is a frizzled hen, most often characterized by its wild hair. People think they originated in Asia, along with the frizzled chickens. Here is a four-eyed fish; it's technically called an anablep. Their eyes are essentially split in half, so they can see above and below the surface of the water at once. Why? To hunt prey, of course. Here is a sea cucumber — a real animal, if you can believe it. They're essentially found all over the world, and are frequently compared to starfish and sea urchins. Here is a gulper eel, slash pelican eel. It's not often spotted by humans, hence why this photo is a digital illustration. But the scariest thing about them is their mouth, which can swallow MASSIVE prey — like, way bigger than their size. Wasn't that fun? Now, animal lovers, tell me: What's a rare animal species or mutation that's honestly kinda terrifying to look at? Tell me in the comments below, or in this anonymous form! And for more interesting animal posts, follow BuzzFeed Canada on Instagram and TikTok!
