'Rare' fish in Jinshui River turns out to be pet axolotl

Images of the creatures have become a smash on Chinese social media. (Photo/IC)

Two patrolmen recently found an unusual-looking creature swimming in the Jinshui River in Zhengzhou, a city in central China's Henan province. At around 8 a.m. on Sunday, the two men caught the creature — which was orange in color and had four legs — and put it in a plastic box filled with water.

Soon, passersby gathered to see this so-called "fish with legs." Some guessed that the creature was a baby Chinese giant salamander. The species, which can reach 6 feet in length, was once common throughout central, southwestern and southern China, but today is considered critically endangered and under special state protection.

However, one pet owner correctly identified the creature as an axolotl. Thanks to the flamboyant appearance of their gills, which stick far out, axolotls have been described by some people as a "dinosaur fish with six horns." According to the man who identified the animal, it is not difficult to keep axolotls as pets in cold water.

Axolotls are most often found in lakes around Mexico City. "The creatures are no longer commonly found in the wild, but have been bred extensively in captivity," said a pet shop owner. Axolotls with pink, orange and black amphibian skin are the ones usually available at pet markets.

Experts say that pet owners should not release axolotls into rivers or wild waters because they might be a threat to local species.