A TV news reporter in China said he shot video of six mysterious seal-like creatures that were as big a sheep in a deep volcanic lake scientists claim is too cold for most animals.

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The footage, which was broadcast by Chinese Central Television on Sept. 15, shows the strange creatures swimming very quickly in waters near the border of China and Korea.

Zhuo Yongsheng, who works for a local TV station run by the administration office of Mount Changbaishan, filmed the creatures at Lake Tianchi.

The news reporter said he watched the seal-like, finned creatures swimming and frolicking in the lake for an hour and a half, before they were out of sight.

The filmed report included testimonies from three unnamed witnesses.

"When first I saw it I thought it was a stone, but later suddenly five more appeared," one witness said.

Another witness said, "This kind of creature has a vigorous life because it is swimming very fast."

The report referred to a legend of a monster which has supposedly dwelled in the lake for more than a century.

The agency said Chinese scientists had dismissed the reports, saying the lake was too cold for large creatures.

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