This is the terrifying moment a wild monitor lizard crept into a house while a toddler was playing in front of the TV in Thailand.

CCTV footage shows the beast slinking into the living room while the youngster Tin, 5, was playing with his toys at their home in Nonthaburi province on May 11.

Upon spotting the reptilian intruder, the frightened Tin sprang up from the floor and shouted for his grandfather to make the creature go away.

Tin then grabbed his stuffed shark toy and retreated into another room while local animal rescuers caught the monitor lizard.

Tin's worried mum Kanwiya said: 'The monitor lizard may have entered through the garage door because I forgot to close it. I am scared of it coming back, so I have been locking all the days and windows.'

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.