A Chinese naval flotilla was forced to hold their fire, after a curious shark appeared and tried to join their military exercises.

The bullhead shark seemed to have gotten attracted to the colorful balloons floating in the waters.

The shark appeared while the small warships were conducting military exercises on the Gulf of Aden in the Arabian Sea.

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The People's Liberation Army's (PLA) news portal said the flotilla, led by replenishment ship Weishanhu, covered a two-nautical mile area.  Its gunners laid out bright balloons as targets. 

Gunner Tong Yang said he noticed the bullhead shark playing around with the balloon, just as he was about to pull the trigger.  He then heard his superior who ordered him to hold fire, the report said.

Bullhead sharks are relatively small, with the largest species just measuring up to 59 inches.  They are bottom feeders in subtropical and tropical waters.

The shark also got a few minutes of online fame, as twitter users shared photos of the deep-sea creature and the balloon it was toying around.

Some thanked China for not shooting the shark.  Sea Shepherd Siren sent out a tweet saying she hopes China would be more compassionate toward animals.

The PLA had intensifed its military exercises over the past two years, following President Xi Jinping's order for the troops to be combat-ready.

This year, Russia and China are set to conduct regular joint naval exercises in the Mediterranean and Pacific, as the two countries seek a collective security system in the Asia-Pacific region.

Tagsbullhead shark, Military exercises