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." 

NUCLEAR PLANT ON COASTAL WATERS SHUT DOWN OVER MASSIVE JELLYFISH SWARM

CPW says the infection is typified by "black nodules on the skin, usually the head," adding, "Growths can sometimes become elongated, taking on a horn‐like appearance."

The department says the growths don’t harm the rabbits unless they interfere with the animal’s ability to eat and drink.

RARE TICK-BORNE VIRUS CAUSING NEUROLOGICAL SYMPTOMS DIAGNOSED IN NORTHEASTERN STATE

"Most infected cottontails can survive the viral infection, after which the growths will go away," CPW says. "For this reason, CPW does not recommend euthanizing rabbits with papillomas unless they are interfering with the rabbit’s ability to eat and drink."

The department says the virus is specific to rabbits and can’t be transmitted to other species, but it could infect domestic rabbits, "especially if rabbits are housed outdoors where they may contact wild rabbits or biting insects. In domestic rabbits, the disease is more severe than in wild rabbits and should be treated by a veterinarian."

CPW also advises people to avoid touching infected rabbits, according to News9. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

There is no known cure for the virus. 

A federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld an Arkansas law prohibiting doctors from providing gender transition medical treatment to minors, reversing a lower court decision that blocked the first-in-the-nation law.

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 8-2 on Tuesday to overturn a lower court decision, now allowing the state to enforce the law. The appeals court cited the U.S. Supreme Court decision in June upholding a similar ban in Tennessee, in which the nation's highest court ruled that the law was constitutional and did not discriminate against transgender people.

Referencing the Supreme Court's decision, the appeals court agreed with Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin, a Republican, that the law did not violate transgender minors' equal protection rights under the U.S. Constitution.

"I applaud the court’s decision and am pleased that children in Arkansas will be protected from experimental procedures," Griffin said in a statement following the ruling.

FEDERAL COURT REJECTS CHALLENGE TO OKLAHOMA LAW BANNING GENDER TRANSITION TREATMENT FOR MINORS

Arkansas Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders wrote on social media that the ruling "is a win for common sense -- and for our kids."

Arkansas became the first U.S. state to ban transgender treatments such as puberty blockers, hormones and surgery for minors in 2021, when the Republican-led legislature passed the ban after they overruled the veto of then-GOP Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

Four families of transgender children and two doctors challenged the law, arguing the Save Adolescents From Experimentation (SAFE) Act violated parents' due process rights under the U.S. Constitution's Fourteenth Amendment.

Writing the majority opinion, U.S. Circuit Judge Duane Benton said parents have never had a right to obtain medical treatment for their children that a state government had banned.

The judge also wrote that the lower court's decision, in which U.S. District Judge Jay Moody ruled in 2023 that the law discriminates against transgender people and poses "immediate and irreparable harm" to transgender children, conflicts with the Supreme Court’s decision in the Tennessee case. The law was also previously blocked from taking effect in 2021.

U.S. Circuit Judge Jane Kelly, meanwhile, wrote in the dissent that there is a "startling lack of evidence connecting Arkansas' ban on gender-affirming care with its purported goal of protecting children."

The American Civil Liberties Union and the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas were among the groups representing the plaintiffs.

SCOTUS RULES ON STATE BAN ON GENDER TRANSITION 'TREATMENTS' FOR MINORS IN LANDMARK CASE

"This is a tragically unjust result for transgender Arkansans, their doctors, and their families," Holly Dickson, executive director of the ACLU of Arkansas, said in a statement.

"The state had every opportunity and failed at every turn to prove that this law helps children; in fact, this is a dangerous law that harms children," she continued. "The law has already had a profound impact on families across Arkansas who all deserve a fundamental right to do what is best for their children. As we and our clients consider our next steps, we want transgender Arkansans to know they are far from alone and we remain as determined as ever to secure their right to safety, dignity, and equal access to the health care they need."

The ruling on Tuesday comes after the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled unanimously last week that a similar ban in Oklahoma is constitutional, also relying upon the Supreme Court's decision on the Tennessee law.

Reuters contributed to this report.