Ah, the jackalope! A jackrabbit with the antlers of an antelope, bounding through the wild west like the portmanteau of speedy beasts it is.
And, of course, completely made up. A story told by cowboys to dupe gullible newcomers.
Some people now postulate that the jackalope tales stem from sightings of real rabbits infected with the Shope papillomavirus, which causes really disturbing-looking horny warts (which can become cancerous tumors) to grow all over a rabbit's face, and sometimes on its body as well.
Personally, I'm skeptical. Shope tumors bear only a slight resemblance to antlers, and that's only if one turns one's head to the side and squints really hard. Then again, manatees don't look much like mermaids, either.
No comments:
Post a Comment