It sounds like something out of a horror movie: Rabbits spotted with “tentacles” or horns growing out of their heads.
But it’s really happened in Colorado. “There are really rabbits with what look like tentacles growing out of them,” USA Today reported. What gives? Why do the rabbits have horns? Photos of the horned rabbits have emerged online.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife confirms that rabbits can have “black nodules on the skin, usually the head,” noting that “growths can sometimes become elongated, taking on a horn‐like appearance.”
Rabbits With ‘Tentacles’ Were Seen in Fort Collins, CO
The rabbits caused a stir when they were spotted in Fort Collins, CO, according to the Coloradan. They’ve been dubbed “Frankenstein rabbits” by USA Today.
“Cottontail rabbits with horn-like growths on their heads have appeared in Fort Collins in recent weeks,” the site wrote on Aug. 13.
Recently, some wild rabbits have been seen in the U.S. with “horn-like” growths spurting from their heads that are caused by a viral infection, according to experts. https://t.co/5Yitn15kEO
— FOX 5 Atlanta (@FOX5Atlanta) August 13, 2025
The Colorado Parks and Wildlife discusses the virus on its website section about cottontail rabbits.
“Rabbit papillomas are growths on the skin caused by the cottontail rabbit papillomavirus. The growths have no significant effects on wild rabbits unless they interfere with eating/drinking,” it reads.
THERE ARE CURRWNTLY RABBITS WITH TENTACLES IN THE US??? pic.twitter.com/0Bwu4YwDfu
— Being and serving cunt (@hermionestacos) August 13, 2025
The news freaked some people out online.
The Rabbit Virus Isn’t Harmful to Humans, Officials Say
“Most infected cottontails can survive the viral infection, after which the growths will go away. For this reason, CPW does not recommend euthanizing rabbits with papillomas unless they are interfering with the rabbit’s ability to eat and drink.”
Colorado Parks and Wildlife says the rabbit virus isn’t harmful to humans.
“Like other papillomaviruses, this virus is specific to rabbits and does not cause disease in other species,” the agency wrote. “There is a risk of transmission to domestic rabbits, especially if rabbits are housed outdoors where they may contact wild rabbits or biting insects. In domestic rabbits, the disease is more severe than in wild rabbits and should be treated by a veterinarian.”
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