Reports and sightings of cottontail rabbit papillomavirus have been documented since 1933, but the symptoms have gone viral in a new sense this summer.

Photos of wild rabbits with wart-like horns and tentacles have been sweeping the internet over the last few days, with many sightings of the afflicted animals taking place in Colorado. As early as last week, several people in south Fort Collins reported seeing rabbits near their properties with horn-like growths and tentacles around their bodies, including a reporter for 9News.

The growths are often seen on a rabbit's head, face and back, evoking some memories of jackalopes, or mythical North American creatures that look like jackrabbits with antlers. But cottontail rabbit papillomavirus looks more like a horror story than a fantasy w

See Full Page