A clever monitor lizard in Thailand will let you take a photograph of it in exchange for food.

Footage shows a family having a great time watching and filming the reptile as it walks near their picnic mat in Koh Hong Island, Krabi province on December 11.

The friendly lizard glides slowly around people appearing to let them take pictures and videos of it.

Than Bhok Khorani National Park chief Teekawut Sriburin said there are many other friendly reptiles in the area, but they will not model unlike this one.

He said: “Many of the monitor lizards here aren’t dangerous if you give them food and if you don’t attack them first.

"But the one we have here is extra smart as it knows people will give it food if it poses for the camera, like a model."

Monitor lizards are large lizards native to Africa, Asia, and Oceania, but are now found in the Americas as an invasive species.

They have long necks, powerful tails and claws, and well-developed limbs that help them hunt for food such as smaller reptiles, fish, birds, insects, and small mammals.