Passers-by watched in amazement as a chameleon was filmed slowly swallowing a giant centipede.

The 12-inch long reptile scampered down a tree and grabbed hold of the insect's tail in Loei Province, northern Thailand, on September 22.

Perched in front of a busy petrol station, the chameleon then spun round to face upwards and spent five minutes wrapping its jaws around the bright orange creepy-crawlie.

It finally took one large gulp to cram all of the centipede into its mouth before running back across the bark to its hiding place among the leaves.

Onlooker Patarawut Boonprasit said: ''It was very interesting. I've never seen a lizard eat such a large insect before. I tried to get as close as possible without scaring it away.

''There were a lot of people walking by but the chameleon was only interested in its food. It was quite a strange scene. I've not scene something like this before. The chameleon took about five minutes to eat the centipede.''