Residents of the United States published footage of the invasion of zombie squirrels

Residents of several US states have noticed a large number of "zombie squirrels". This was reported by the New York Post (NYP).

Sick animals, whose bodies are covered with festering ulcers and boils, have been recorded in North Carolina, Florida, Michigan and other regions of the country. Eyewitnesses are actively sharing footage of deformed rodents on social media.

"What's going on with the squirrels lately?! I've already met the third one in this form. It's scary, frankly," one user shared.

Biologists explained that the animals probably suffer from squirrel fibromatosis. This skin disease is caused by viruses of the genus leporipoxvirus, which are biologically similar to smallpox viruses.

The infection is transmitted between individuals through saliva. As a result, warty growths appear on the skin of rodents, from which fluid oozes. In most cases, the disease resolves on its own, but in severe cases, internal organs can be affected.

Chevenell Webb, a biologist from Maine, explained that the disease is not transmitted to humans, pets, or birds. According to the expert, the rapid spread of the virus throughout the United States is associated with animal raids on bird feeders. In such places, infection from one infected individual is transmitted to other groups of rodents in a short time.

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In April, NYP reported that California authorities feared that the sudden invasion of nine-kilogram nutria, which were considered exterminated, could be directly related to humans. It was found that the DNA of the discovered nutrients is associated with rodents from Oregon, and not with a species that once lived in California.