A sunbathing tourist was woken up with a jolt - when a huge monitor lizard sidled up beside him.

The holidaymaker was soaking up the rays when the Godzilla-like reptile emerged from the sea on the island of Ko Hong near Krabi, southern Thailand, on Monday.

Concerned beachgoer Anusa Thongphum watched as the lizard came perilously close to the oblivious backpacker. She called out 'hey you' before he turned his head and came face-to-face with the beast.

Footage shows how he quickly backed away before realising the monitor lizard was not aggressive and admiring its scales.

Anusa said: 'I was afraid that the monitor lizard would bite the tourist, who was sleeping and could not see what was happening. I didn't know how to tell him in English that a monitor lizard was there so I just walked over. Thankfully he woke up.'

Asian water monitor lizards normally live in canals, swamps, sewers and ponds in cities in Thailand. However, they are also found on some islands in the south of the country. They feed on fish, snakes, frogs and scraps of food left by humans.

The reptiles are aggressive when threatened and have a mildly venomous bite which sometimes carries harmful bacteria. The Godzilla-like reptiles are also a protected species in the country so their population thrives.