This is the nail-biting moment a daughter saved her elderly father from a monitor lizard attack in Thailand.

The pensioner was taking a nap alongside his relative when the beast casually strolled into the bedroom before making a beeline for the old man in Samut Sakhon province on September 23.

As the woman shifted on her mattress, she saw the reptile lurking near her feet and kicked it away. She thrashed several more times to scare the wild animal off, jolting her pensioner father awake.

The monitor lizard fled without harming any residents.

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.