Wildlife officials in Colorado have confirmed a troubling rise in cases of shope papillomavirus, a rare disease causing wild rabbits to grow tentacle-like growths from their heads and mouths. While the condition is not new to science,

The grotesque “Frankenstein”-esque rabbits — once just a Colorado curiosity — are now turning up in Minnesota and Nebraska, their furry faces sprouting grotesque horn- and tentacle-like growths straight out of a B-movie.

A rapidly spreading virus is causing cottontail rabbits to grow black, tentacle-like growths out of their heads, prompting warnings to steer clear of the mutated animals.

A group of rabbits in Colorado with grotesque, hornlike growths may seem straight out of a low-budget horror film, but scientists say there's no reason to be spooked — the furry creatures

A group of rabbits in Colorado with grotesque, hornlike growths may seem straight out of a low-budget horror film, but scientists say there's no reason to be spooked -- the furry creatures merely have a relatively common virus.

The science behind these strange creatures is an infection known as the cottontail papilloma virus (CRPV), which causes tumours to grow on and around the animals head. It spreads mainly though mosquitos and ticks, which bite the victim and alter its DNA.

A disturbing virus is sweeping through bunnies in Colorado in the US, turning them into nightmarish ''Frankenstein'-looking mammals with scary tentacles protruding out of their faces. Read on to know more about the shope papilloma virus.