A family from eastern India got the fright of their lives recently when they discovered a bay monitor lizard inside their air-conditioning unit.

Zahir Ali Khan heard a weird noise coming from the cooling system at his family home in Puri on August 17.

When he went to take a closer look, he was shocked to see a forked tongue flicking out from a hole on the side of the unit.

Imagining the creature within to be a snake, Khan called a team of experts who came to the house to help.

Susant Behera from Snake Helpline was surprised to find a baby monitor lizard inside the AC and quickly caught the reptile.

Behera released the animal shortly afterwards in a natural habitat.

"While snakes inside AC are fairly common, it was a first with the monitor lizard," said Subhendu Malik from Snake Helpline.

Zahir Ali Khan, a resident of Puri in eastern India, heard a weird noise coming out of an AC in his home on August 17.

When he tried to get a closer look, a forked tongue came out of a hole on the left side of the AC, terrifying him. Thinking there was a snake inside the worried family called Snake Helpline, and a volunteer, Susant Behera, went to the house.

He was surprised to see an adorable baby monitor lizard instead of a snake inside the machine. When he tried to gently tease the lizard out of its hiding place, the animal leapt out and hid behind a cupboard. Susant rescued the monitor lizard and released it in a suitable natural habitat.

Subhendu Mallik, General Secretary, Snake Helpline said: "While snakes inside ACs are fairly common, it was a first with the monitor lizard. The lizard had got into the AC cabinet though a hole probably made by a rat.”