Internet users claim they found the figure of three kittens in the new fifth series of the banknote. [The Beijing News]

A leading banknote and coin expert has denied a figure of a group of kittens appears in the new 100 yuan bill after a number of people claimed to have spotted the furry pets hidden in the banknote.

Internet users claim they found the figure of three kittens in the new fifth series of the banknote after close inspection under a magnifying glass, The Beijing News reported.

They claim two kittens appear opposite each other kneeling down with another in the center gazing with its mouth open

But Yuan Yinlong, a banknote and coin expert in Central China's Henan province, said the figures are just the work of the imagination of Internet users.

"Internet users purposely highlighted the lines to form the animal-like figure," he said.

Yuan also said the design of Chinese currency banknotes adopt advanced anti-forgery technology that is a state secret. The figures in the banknote seem to combine traditional elements and modern cartoon patterns.