Creepy Frankenrabbits Now Spotted in Minnesota

You know those moments when real life feels like a horror show? That’s exactly what happened to me the other day while walking my dogs!

We approached two rabbits on the trail, and one hopped away like normal, but the other just sat there, completely unfazed by my giant dogs, and that’s when I noticed it. Black, creepy-looking growths sticking out of its head like it just stumbled off the set of of The Last of Us. Could it be a real-life jackalope?

Turns out, I wasn’t seeing things. I went down the Google rabbit hole (pun intended), I found out these rabbits have been popping up in Colorado, and now they’re showing up right here in Minnesota too.

Also See: Do Sellers in Minnesota Have to Reveal Haunted Houses?

These “frankenrabbits” aren’t just a Halloween myth, the weird horn-like growths on their heads are real, and honestly, kind of terrifying. But the cause isn’t supernatural, it’s a virus that is spread by tick, flea or mosquito bites

So what’s going on? According to the Brainerd Dispatch, it’s the cottontail rabbit papillomavirus that creates keratin tumors, and yes, it’s as wild as it sounds.

My first thought when I saw that rabbit was, wait… is this contagious? Can my dogs catch it? Thankfully, the answer is no. Experts say the virus behind these growths is rabbit-specific. It’s related to human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes warts, but it can’t infect people, dogs, or cats.

And here’s the part that made my jaw drop: if the rabbit is otherwise healthy and acting normal, its meat is technically considered safe to eat. Personally, I think I’ll skip the Frankenrabbit stew and stick to chicken nuggets.

For those of us who don’t eat rabbit and are just a little worried about these infected creatures, good news, they say most of them survive this virus and the growths usually fall off on their own. Check out the video for more info.

Have you spotted one of these bunnies in the wild?