This is the shocking moment a scooter rider ran over a monitor lizard crossing a road.

The female driver swerved to avoid the reptile standing on the road shoulder - only for it to skitter to the middle of the lane at a university in Pattani province, Thailand, on August 30.

Footage shows the woman stumbling on the pavement when her vehicle toppled over after hitting the monitor lizard. The injured animal ran away into nearby bushes.

Onlooker Menpha said: 'I was going to park my car, but I noticed the monitor lizard standing right in the middle of the road so I took a video. The woman was safe. A security guard at a nearby building helped her.'

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.