--- title: "Rabbits With Horrifying Tentacles Growing Out of Their Faces Spotted in Colorado" description: "Hellbunnies Rise Today in is-it-real-or-is-it-AI: terrifying bunnies with spiny black tentacles on their faces have been spotted in Colorado. And, yes, they are real. As the local news station 9News reports, rabbits bearing bizarre, spike-like growths on their faces have been repeatedly observed in Fort Collins in recent months. \"It looks like it was black quills or black toothpicks sticking out all around his or her mouth,\" area resident Susan Mansfield told 9News of the hellish-looking wildlife. \"I thought he would die off during the winter, but he didn't. He came back a second year, and it grew.\" In response […]" date: "2025-08-13" modified: "2025-08-13" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/rabbits-tentacles-faces-colorado" categories: - "Science & Energy" tags: - "animals" - "rabbits" - "the digest" - "wildlife" --- # Rabbits With Horrifying Tentacles Growing Out of Their Faces Spotted in Colorado ![Terrifying rabbits with spiny black tentacles on their faces have been spotted in Colorado. They look hellish, but they're not dangerous.]() *\Image: Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images\* ## Hell Bunnies Rise Is it real, or is it the nightmare-inducing hallucination of a demented AI? Terrifying bunnies with spiny black tentacles on their faces have been spotted in Colorado. And, yes, they are real. As [local news station *9News* reports](), rabbits bearing bizarre, spike-like growths on their faces have been repeatedly observed in Fort Collins in recent months. "It looks like it was black quills or black toothpicks sticking out all around his or her mouth," area resident Susan Mansfield told *9News* of the hellish-looking wildlife. "I thought he would die off during the winter, but he didn't. He came back a second year, and it grew." In response to sightings, Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) [confirmed]() that the cottontail rabbits in the region are suffering from the cottontail rabbit papillomavirus, or CTRV, a viral infection that has the unfortunate side effect of causing sharp black tentacles to sprout from the animals' heads and faces. The CPW further noted that the virus is commonly spread to rabbits by ticks, mosquitoes, and other insects, and isn't a risk to public health or pets outside of domestic rabbits (which should be treated by a vet if they happen to become infected). In short, the bunnies aren't dangerous, despite their extremely hardcore look. "There's no overt concern needed for pet owners," CPW spokesperson Kara Van Hoose [told Colorado news station *KDVR*](). "We would just say to keep those wildlife principles in mind when you do have them out: keep them on leash, keep them away from wild animals just in case, but it is not something necessarily we see transferred from rabbits to dogs." https://twitter.com/WAFB/status/1954558061281997127 ## Going Viral Though it looks borderline demonic, CTRV isn't usually fatal. The impacted cottontails will more than likely recover and will lose the growths when they do. As such, wildlife experts don't recommend putting infected rabbits down. Though the tentacles — which are [associated]() with "[jackalope]()" lore — have earned the infected critters the unfortunate nickname of "Frankenstein" rabbits in the [past](), these little guys are not tiny, fuzzy, demons from hell. They're just having a rough go with a studied virus, pose no threat to most pets, and one day soon will drop the tentacles and be adorable once again. Now, back to focusing on the [real demons]()... **More on wildlife:** [*Nuclear Power Plant Shut Down by Furious Jellyfish*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()