Bunnies are one of the main topics this week for one reason: SPV.  It’s a virus that spreads from bunny to bunny through ticks, mosquitoes, and other bugs. Some people have called it the Frankenstein virus because it grows horn-shaped structures on their heads. Depending on the area of the head, it can cause major or minor discomfort depending on the area. Although it sounds dangerous, it is not contagious to humans, dogs, or cats. Only bunnies can be infected by SPV. During the early to mid-1930s in the Midwest, people’s rabbits and bunnies would contract this and look like something from. It mainly affects Cottontail rabbits, and they began to grow these keratinous horns. The hairy horns begin as a tumor that slowly falls off over time.

Despite its [synonym for tragedy], it became an essential study for HPV, an infection that causes warts on the body, typically contracted through sexual transmission. ). SPV is mostly found in summer states like Colorado, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Texas, but it can still be found all over the world. Scientists suggest that people who own rabbits and other animals be cautious because it is still being investigated if it can infect other animals.  The horns can become malignant, so scientists suggest that pet owners surgically remove the horns if they are financially able. “You should mainly only be worried if it covers their eyes or their mouths”, said Newsweek. “We would be concerned only if the growths are on the eyes or impede the rabbit’s ability to eat,”. Since this means it could be fatal only in some ways, it is important to be conscious even if it isn’t in their eyes or mouth. 

recently found out disease is more severe in domestic bunnies than their wild brethren, with the big concern being that they can develop squamous cell carcinoma, which is a potentially fatal skin cancer that appears in rabbits. It is primarily found in the ears and feet, and is more prevalent in lighter colored rabbits. It is a high-risk surgery to try to save the rabbit. It has a 50% chance to fail, but a common treatment.. 

Many people say that the Shope Papilloma virus played a good role in the North American myth of the jackalope. The jackalopes also have these horns growing out of them. A man named Hu has said, “Papillomaviruses are strictly species-specific. In other words, Shope papillomavirus does not infect humans or other animal species, and therefore poses no hazard to humans.”.