Infected ‘Frankenstein’ Rabbits with Tentacles Spotted in US

Something disturbing started appearing in Colorado neighborhoods this summer, hopping through suburban yards and alarming residents during routine dog walks. Eyewitnesses described creatures that seemed ripped from horror movies, with black protrusions jutting from their faces like nightmare appendages. Social media exploded with warnings about “invading” animals that looked nothing like the gentle cottontails people expected to see munching grass in local parks. Videos and photos spread across platforms, accumulating millions of views as viewers struggled to comprehend what they were seeing. Were these animals suffering from some new disease? Had environmental contamination created mutant wildlife? Or perhaps something even stranger was happening in the American West. Scientists would soon reveal the truth behind these unsettling sightings, but not before panic spread far beyond Colorado’s borders and ancient folklore suddenly seemed terrifyingly real.

Social Media Freakout Goes Viral

August 2025 witnessed one of the year’s most bizarre viral phenomena as posts about mysterious rabbit creatures dominated social media feeds worldwide. X users shared alarming descriptions of “Frankenstein rabbits” with tentacles that had supposedly begun “invading” the United States, creating widespread panic about these unusual animals.

Single posts accumulated staggering view counts, with one X message reaching over 24 million people within days of publication. Another post warning “DO NOT TOUCH” these creatures garnered nearly 8 million views, while descriptions of “tentacle-like growths” spread across platforms like digital wildfire.

Instagram engagement reached nearly 100,000 likes on individual posts about the supposed rabbit invasion, while Facebook reactions exceeded 10,000 on fear-mongering content. Users shared images and videos of the affected animals, often with sensationalized captions that amplified public concern.

Public reaction ranged from genuine terror to morbid fascination as people struggled to understand what they were seeing. Comment sections are filled with theories ranging from environmental disasters to government experiments, while others dismissed the content as elaborate hoaxes or digital manipulation.

Fort Collins Residents Spot Nightmare Bunnies

BREAKING; Experts Warn of Infected ‘Frankenstein’ Rabbits with Tentacles Invading the US.

These wild rabbits have been spotted hopping around with nightmarish facial growths across Fort Collins, Colorado. pic.twitter.com/Etmw4Izwql

— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) August 12, 2025

Colorado locals in Fort Collins began reporting strange rabbit sightings during routine neighborhood activities, describing encounters with animals that defied normal wildlife expectations. Dog walkers and residents expressed genuine concern about creatures that appeared fundamentally different from typical cottontail rabbits.

Susan Mansfield, a Fort Collins resident, provided detailed observations about one particular rabbit she encountered repeatedly: “It looks like it was 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. He came back a second year, and it grew.”

Other residents described the unusual facial features using terms like “scabbish-looking” growths that covered significant portions of the animals’ heads. Multiple sightings suggested these were not isolated incidents but rather a pattern occurring throughout the community.

Repeated encounters with the same individual animals allowed residents to track the progression of the growths over extended periods. Many observers noted that the protrusions seemed to increase in size and prominence over months, creating increasingly dramatic appearances that sparked neighborhood discussions.

What Those Creepy Growths Are

Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson Kara Van Hoose began receiving official reports about wild rabbits displaying unusual black nodules on their faces, prompting an investigation into the medical cause behind these alarming appearances.

Scientific analysis revealed that cottontail rabbit papillomavirus was responsible for creating the dramatic facial growths that had terrified social media users. This virus specifically targets rabbit tissue, producing black nodules that develop around infected animals’ heads and faces.

Medical documentation shows these growths can become elongated over time, taking on horn-like appearances that explain why observers described them as tentacles or quills. Viral infection causes tissue changes that create these distinctive protrusions without affecting the rabbits’ internal organ systems.

Veterinary research confirms that this papillomavirus affects only rabbits, with no documented cases of cross-species transmission to humans, dogs, cats, or other mammals. Species-specific nature of the infection eliminates public health concerns despite the alarming visual appearance.

Not an Invasion: This Virus is Nearly 100 Years Old

Historical records demonstrate that Shope papilloma virus has existed in the United States since at least 1933, when researcher Richard Shope first documented cases in Kansas and Iowa rabbits. Scientific literature shows decades of documented infections throughout the American Midwest.

Previous cases in Colorado include a 2011 desert cottontail rabbit captured in Larimer County, the same region where current Fort Collins sightings are occurring. USDA reports from 2013 documented this earlier infection, proving the virus had already established a presence in the area years before recent social media attention.

Geographic distribution studies show the virus exists “almost exclusively” in the United States Midwest, contradicting claims about foreign invasion or new environmental threats. Long-term presence in American rabbit populations indicates stable ecological relationships rather than emerging disease outbreaks.

Scientific consensus maintains that current Colorado sightings represent routine wildlife disease occurrence rather than unprecedented biological events. Researchers emphasize that viral presence in wild rabbit populations has remained consistent for generations.

Bugs Spread the Rabbit Horror Show

Insect vectors play crucial roles in transmitting cottontail rabbit papillomavirus between wild animal populations. Ticks, mosquitoes, and fleas serve as primary carriers, spreading infection through normal feeding behaviors on rabbit hosts.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife spokesperson Van Hoose explained seasonal patterns: “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.”

Summer and fall represent peak transmission periods when insect populations reach maximum density and activity levels. Warmer temperatures create optimal conditions for both viral survival and vector reproduction, explaining why current sightings coincide with late summer timeframes.

Biting insects transfer viral particles between healthy and infected rabbits during routine blood feeding activities. Multiple insect species can serve as vectors, creating numerous transmission opportunities throughout the warmer months when rabbits spend more time exposed to outdoor environments.

Most Rabbits Survive Their Monster Makeover

Despite their frightening appearance, infected wild rabbits typically experience minimal health impacts from papillomavirus infections. Colorado Parks and Wildlife documentation indicates that most cottontails successfully overcome viral infections without long-term consequences.

“Most infected cottontails can survive the viral infection, after which the growths will go away,” according to official CPW information. Recovery processes allow rabbits to return to normal appearance and behavior patterns once their immune systems eliminate the virus.

Health complications arise only when large growths interfere with essential activities like eating and drinking. Facial nodules that block mouth access or impair vision can create survival challenges, though such severe cases represent minority outcomes among infected populations.

Immune system responses eventually clear viral infections from rabbit tissue, allowing gradual reduction and elimination of the dramatic growths. Natural recovery processes mean that infected animals can return to normal appearance within several months of initial infection.

Pet Rabbits Face Bigger Dangers

Domestic rabbit populations show increased vulnerability to severe papillomavirus complications compared to their wild counterparts. Veterinary research indicates that pet rabbits develop cancerous tumors three times more frequently than wild cottontails when infected with the same virus.

Controlled indoor environments may compromise natural immune responses that wild rabbits develop through constant environmental exposure. Reduced pathogen contact in domestic settings potentially weakens immune system preparation for viral challenges.

Veterinary intervention becomes crucial for infected pet rabbits, with surgical removal of growths recommended before malignant transformation occurs. Professional treatment options allow domestic rabbit owners to protect their animals from serious health consequences.

Indoor housing provides the most effective prevention strategy for pet rabbit owners in areas where papillomavirus infections occur. Eliminating exposure to carrier insects significantly reduces transmission risk while maintaining animal health and owner peace of mind.

Jackalope Legends May Have Started Here

Historical connections exist between papillomavirus-infected rabbit sightings and American folklore traditions surrounding the mythical jackalope. Smithsonian documentation suggests that encounters with infected animals may have contributed to antlered rabbit legends.

Cultural anthropologists note that “Frankenstein” rabbit nicknames connect modern sightings to established cryptid traditions in American folklore. Oral histories from frontier periods often described rabbit-like creatures with unusual protrusions that match contemporary viral infection symptoms.

Folklore development frequently incorporates real animal encounters that early observers couldn’t explain through available scientific knowledge. Papillomavirus infections would have created exactly the type of mysterious creature descriptions found in regional legend collections.

Modern social media amplification mirrors the historical pattern of unusual animal sighting stories spreading through communities. Digital platforms accelerate folklore development while creating global audiences for localized wildlife phenomena.

Scientists Say Calm Down Already

Wildlife health experts emphasize that papillomavirus infections pose no threats to human populations or other animal species. Decades of research confirm species-specific viral characteristics that prevent cross-species transmission events.

Public health recommendations focus solely on standard wildlife precautions rather than specific papillomavirus concerns. Avoiding direct contact with wild animals represents appropriate behavior regardless of infection status, while infected rabbits require no additional safety measures.

Expert analysis dismisses fear-mongering social media content as a misrepresentation of routine wildlife health phenomena. Scientific community frustration centers on public overreaction to well-documented biological processes that pose minimal ecological or human health risks.

Educational outreach efforts aim to provide accurate information about cottontail rabbit papillomavirus while countering misinformation spread through viral social media posts. Researchers emphasize the importance of science-based understanding over sensationalized content.

Nothing New Under the Sun

Current Colorado rabbit sightings represent normal wildlife disease occurrence that has been documented by the scientific community for nearly a century. Media coverage transforms routine biological phenomena into sensational news stories that mislead public understanding.

Public education initiatives should focus on improving wildlife disease literacy rather than responding to individual viral content episodes. Understanding normal ecological processes prevents unnecessary fear while promoting appropriate wildlife interaction behaviors.

Scientific perspective maintains that cottontail rabbit papillomavirus infections will continue occurring seasonally throughout affected regions regardless of media attention or public awareness levels. Natural biological cycles persist independently of human observation or social media documentation.