Two monitor lizards stood on their hind legs while hugging in a duel in a drain.

Footage shows the 4ft-long reptiles locked in each other arms amid plants and pieces of trash in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 29.

None of the creatures backed down despite the slippery platform where they fought.

Passerby Kongkrit Ratchawong said he stopped because he was curious about what the animals were doing and asked his friends about it.

He said: ‘It was the first time I saw lizards embracing. I thought it was an act of love, but they actually wanted to hurt each other.'

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.