A massive python was caught hiding in a car engine in Thailand.

The 10ft snake slithered into a white Mitsubishi Pajero SUV to escape from the cold weather in Ayutthaya province.

The SUV owner Suwat Suwwannathai, 64, said his vehicle had been parked on the street of the housing estate for three days. He had lifted the hood to check the engine oil, only to find the huge snake nestled in the machinery on February 9.

Snake wranglers arrived at the scene after receiving Suwat's report. They tried to uncoil the python from the engine compartment, but it slid down into the SUV undercarriage.

Footage shows the team working together to yank the reptile's tail. After 15 minutes, they succeeded in dragging it out into the open.

Relieved car owner Suwat said: 'The python may have been slithered into the car when I was in Lopburi province. I had left it parked outside my home for a week before driving here.

'I was checking on the engine oil when I found the snake. I tried to catch it myself, but it was too large so I decided to call the volunteers for help. I am grateful they responded so quickly.'

The reticulated python is found throughout Southeast Asia, where they live in forests, swamps, canals and even in cities, causing them to come into conflict with humans. The species is one of the world's largest snakes and can eat humans, cats, dogs, birds, rats and other snakes.