A tourist from Shanghai claims to have witnessed an enormous, unidentified creature swimming in the tranquil waters of Tianchi Lake in the Tianshan Mountains in China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

The alleged sighting, which occurred on August 31, has left netizens and experts alike puzzled and sceptical.

Ms Li, the tourist who captured the perplexing footage, described the scene that unfolded during her leisurely afternoon stroll around the lake.

At approximately 4:00 pm, she was drawn to a sound reminiscent of fish slapping the water's surface. To her astonishment, about 200 metres from where she stood, there appeared a silver, elongated object which she estimated to be around 15 metres in length.

“At first, I thought it was a group of fish,” she explained, “but upon closer observation, it looked like a single, lengthy entity.” The mysterious object moved swiftly and rhythmically, disappearing beneath the water's surface within a mere 16 seconds.

Responding to the claims on September 2, local officials from the scenic area acknowledged that similar reports had surfaced in the past. However, the authenticity of these claims remains questionable due to the lack of clear photographic or video evidence.

The video was provided by local media with permission.

8月31日，新疆天山天池，在平静的水面上，有不明物体游动并产生波浪，十余秒后，不明物体消失，波浪也随之不见。
视频拍摄者李女士介绍，她是从上海到新疆旅游的游客，当天下午4时许，她围着天池散步时，突然听到水中传来疑似鱼类在水中游动拍打水面的声音，她朝远处望去，发现在距离她约200米的湖水中，有一长条不明物体，“感觉可能有15米长。”“一开始我以为是几条鱼，仔细看只有一长条，是银色的。”李女士说，她看见该物体有规律地前进，游动速度较快，16秒后该物体消失在水面。
9月2日，该景区工作人员回应称，此前也有游客看到过类似情况，但由于游客拍摄的视频不够清晰，根据描述无法判定究竟是什么东西。该工作人员还称，天池已知的水生物有虹鳟鱼等，其中长度超过1米的水生物，只有游客和工作人员看到过，但都没有留下清晰的照片和视频。