You know the jackalope has to be real. You've lived your life in the desert, you've seen spiders as big as your fist, and horned toads and lizards that live in the light fixture on your front porch. So why not a jackrabbit with deer antlers and a pheasant's tail?
The legend of the jackalope went viral in the 1930s in Douglas, Wyoming, after Douglas Herrick, a hunter and amateur taxidermist, grafted deer antlers onto a jackrabbit carcass, then told everyone for miles around that he'd shot the creature himself. The fellow then sold the world's first stuffed jackalope to Douglas' La Bonte Hotel, where it stood in the lobby, apparently inspiring other weekend taxidermy fans to go home and create their own.
Some claim that the jackalope is just a rabbit sick with Shope papilloma, a virus that causes the growth of antler-like tumors on the poor bunny's head. Others point out that horned rabbits appear in medieval and early Renaissance texts.
If you haven't seen a jackalope yourself, it may be because, as legend has it, they're really shy. They can be enticed and trapped by a bottle of whiskey, the jackalope's favorite drink. Once you catch one, be sure to milk it. Jackalope milk reportedly is a cure-all for all sorts of things: dysentery, skin cancer, flatulence.
Still need proof that this fart-curing creature is real? How about the fact that jackalopes appear in numerous video games, including Red Dead Redemption, Redneck Rampage, and as the rarest purchasable mini-pet in Guild Wars 2?
Everyone knows that everything that appears in video games is real.