A lizard recently discovered under a seat on a high-speed train was brought on board by a passenger, railway authorities in Jinan, Shandong province, said on Wednesday.

According to an online post by a passenger surnamed Yang, his wife was traveling from Zhengzhou, Henan province, to Chengdu, Sichuan province, on Feb 2 when a lizard suddenly appeared in the carriage. He said the lizard frightened his wife, and they were puzzled about how the lizard got on the train.

In a notice posted on its official Weibo account, the Jinan Passenger Transport Section of China Railway Jinan Group Co Ltd said that during the operation of the G481 train at 4:35 pm on Feb 2, one of its staff members found a 10-centimeter-long lizard in the gap under the front seat while collecting waste at seat 4F in carriage 2.

The train conductor and police officers promptly arrived at the scene and properly handled the lizard by 4:43 pm. The passenger in seat 4F was then relocated to another carriage, and the conductor extended a sincere apology, the notice said.

Preliminary investigation indicated that the lizard was a pet and had been secretly carried onto the train. However, no passenger claimed ownership during inquiries, according to the notice.