A goldfish in North Yorkshire survived for seven hours behind a fluff-covered dresser after it leapt out of its tank, it has been claimed.

Paula Dunster from Redcar originally thought that her partner Malcolm Roy had removed 18-month-old Sparkle from its bowl, but he assured her that he had not, The Daily Telegraph reports.

Dunster said: "I looked behind the dresser that the tank was on and I could see him, absolutely covered in dog hair and fluff."

After she decided to clean the fish under the tap, the 46-year-old mother-of-four was surprised when the fish started breathing.

"I was really shocked and my daughter said it was a miracle. It had been down there for so long covered in all of the hair," she continued.



"He was cocooned in black hair. I couldn't even see him properly because there was so much! But he seems fine now, which is great."

A National Marine Aquarium spokesman said that the incident was "possible but unlikely", as the fish may have lowered its metabolic rate and survived with a thin coating of water.

Source: chinadaily.com.cn/agencies