Just when you thought the creepy stories of Colorado’s so-called “Frankenstein rabbits” and “zombie squirrels” were enough nightmare fuel, a new unsettling sight is making the rounds online: deer covered in dark, warty “flesh bubbles.” The bizarre-looking animals have been spotted in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, with photos quickly spreading across social media. One Reddit user shared a snapshot of a deer in their backyard, writing: “Not sure what’s wrong with her or how we can help.
Gunshot wound? Tumor? Fireworks? Prion disease? Don’t know what to do.” Another user posted an image of a deer with lumps on its face and chest, simply asking: “What’s wrong with this deer?” Turns out, there’s an explanation. And while it looks terrifying, it isn’t quite the apocalypse. What’s really going on? Wildlife experts say the condition is called deer fibroma — caused by a species-specific papillomavirus. According to the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife: “These manifest as firm, warty growths fixed to the skin of a deer.
They vary in size (though most are just a few centimeters in diameter), are typically dark in color and bare of fur, and often appear…
