A 16ft-long deadly cobra sparked panic after it was found hiding inside a car engine to keep warm during the cold weather in Thailand.

The house owner walked into the garage when he noticed the snake slipping inside the pickup truck’s slightly-opened bonnet in Surat Thani province on February 3.

He knew immediately that the snake was venomous due to its scale patterns so he called the animal rescuers to extract the animal.

Upon arriving, one the volunteers, Savimol Vichearwong, 43, went straight to the car and opened the hood.

The defiant snake was found inside with its mouth opened and ready to attack to defend its shelter.

Rescuers decided to use a long pole with a noose instead to capture the cobra since it was too aggressive to handle.

Keeping a safe distance away from the car, they lured the snake’s head out before they hooked its neck on the noose.

It was then carefully pulled away from the engine before Savimol grabbed its body to place inside a sack.

The relieved home owner thanked the rescue team for taking the venomous snake out of the property.

Savimol reminded the homeowner to be alert as more snakes try to find a warm place to shelter on during the cold season.

She said: ‘We catch at least four cobras every month because of the weather. They are attracted to warm spaces such as houses and cars.’

The rescue team drove away with the snake to be released into the wild later.