Hairless monkey mistaken for 'alien'

GEZHAI, China, July 23 (UPI) -- Residents of a Chinese village said a creature initially thought to be a visitor from an alien world was found to be a hairless, starving monkey.

Mao Xiping said the creature was first spotted eating cucumbers in her Gezhai village apartment and she initially thought it was a rabbit, Sky News reported Friday.

"At first I thought it was a rabbit, then I was shocked to see it had an alien face," Mao said.

"My neighbors agreed it was like nothing we'd seen before," she said. "It stopped eating cucumbers when we gave it peaches and now it won't eat anything else."

Mao said she and her neighbors were soon told by scientists the "alien" creature was actually a malnourished monkey without any body hair. She said scientists were examining the creature to determine its species and origins.