A long, unknown object that suddenly appeared beneath the surface of a large river sparked fears of a live creature from the deep.

The mysterious sight was captured by a woman while she rode in a cable car above the Wuxia Mouth River, located near the city of Enshi, in Hubei Province, China.

In the video, a long, dark object appears to be hovering just beneath the surface in the middle of the river. As the photographer zooms in the camera, it appears to be slowly moving.

The clip puzzled locals, with some suggesting it might be a massive serpent-like creature.

One said: 'It is an anaconda, this is what I study.'

Another added: 'At this distance and height, the images taken are already significant. How large must the actual object be?'

While one said: 'This looks like a school of fish when you photograph them from afar and they are in a big group.'