Rabbits With Tentacles In Colorado? Everything To Know About Viral Outbreak, Explained

Colorado residents have spotted rabbits with concerning growths and black protrusions reminiscent of tentacles on their heads.

According to 9 News, the Colorado Parks and Wildlife has confirmed that the growths are the result of a virus outbreak among rabbits in the Fort Collins area. Read on for more about the virus and how wildlife officials are ensuring locals’ safety.

Fort Collins residents compare rabbits’ growths to ‘black quills,’ ‘black toothpicks,’ and scabies

Several Fort Collins residents have spotted rabbits with unusual growths, including Susan Mansfield, who told 9 News that she saw a rabbit with protrusions that looked like “black quills” or “black toothpicks.”

“It looks like it was black quills or black toothpicks sticking out all around his or her mouth,” she told the news outlet. “I thought he would die off during the winter, but he didn’t. He came back a second year, and it grew.” 

Another resident said they found a rabbit with “a scabbiesh-looking growth over their face.”

Colorado Parks and Wildlife confirms the Shope papilloma virus causes the growths

According to Gizmodo, the Shope papillomavirus causes the growths and is similar to the human papillomavirus. A common symptom of the virus is keratin growths. On rabbits, they can pop up on their faces or heads.

The virus is typically transmitted by way of biting arthropod vectors like mosquitoes and ticks. It can also be transferred through direct contact with body fluids infected with the virus. The growths don’t carry the virus, and contact with them won’t spread the condition.

Shope papilloma virus functions similarly to benign cancerous cells and has no known cure, 9 News reported.

However, Fort Collins locals don’t need to worry. Wildlife officials explained that the virus is not contagious to humans, dogs or other wildlife. The condition doesn’t hurt rabbits, but they can experience discomfort if the protrusions grow in sensitive areas like their eyes or mouths. Growths may also evolve into malignant tumors that can spread throughout rabbits’ bodies, potentially impacting their health, according to Gizmodo.

Locals urged to avoid rabbits in the area

Though locals are not in immediate danger, wildlife officials have recommended that people in the area avoid trying to touch or interact with the rabbits.