A wild monitor lizard crawled across a beach packed with sunbathing tourists.

Footage shows the reptile slinking on the sand to reach a grassy patch by the shore in Bang Niang Beach in Phang Nga province, Thailand on April 4.

The creature then disappeared behind the plants and left the area.

Onlooker Kornkodchapas Niamtha said: ‘We didn't expect to find a lizard around. It passed us by casually and went on its way.'

Asian water monitor lizards normally live in canals, swamps, sewers and ponds in cities in Thailand. 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.