Wild rabbits spotted with strange 'horn-like' growths sprouting from their heads

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.

"Rabbit papillomas are growths on the skin caused by the cottontail rabbit papillomavirus," Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) says on its website, as some people in the state have reported the strange sightings.

"It looks like it was black quills or black toothpicks sticking out all around his or her mouth," Fort Collins, Colorado, resident Susan Mansfield, who saw one of the rabbits, told 9News. "I thought he would die off during the winter, but he didn’t. He came back a second year, and it grew."

CPW says the infection is typified by "black nodules on the skin, usually the head," adding, "Growths can sometimes bec