This is the horrifying moment a monitor lizard was found eating a newborn baby.

The 7ft beast sparked alarm when it was seen scampering around the grassy wasteland with the infant's remains in its jaws today.

Paramedics and animal catchers arrived at the scene, a housing area for Burmese workers in Samut Prakan on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand.

They found the killer reptile gnawing on the baby's body in the thick, tall grass. However, it fled under the concrete fence when they tried to catch it.

Footage shows the Godzilla-like creature hiding in its swampy nook to continue feasting on the baby's dismembered lower half while officers recovered the head and torso nearby.

Shake rescue volunteer Chaiwat Boonmee said: 'The monitor lizard had dragged the baby's body under a nearby house, making it difficult to recover the remaining parts.

'The rest of the body was handed over to the Institute of Forensic Medicine for a post-mortem examination to determine the cause of death.'

A resident who reported the gruesome discovery to police said he had initially mistaken the baby's remains for a fish.

He said: 'At first, I thought the monitor lizard had caught a fish. But upon closer inspection, I saw that it was actually a baby's body and quickly called for help. I felt sick to my stomach because the baby had been torn to pieces by the animal.'

Authorities believe the baby had been born around two days earlier before being killed and eaten alive by the ravenous reptile.

Police said an investigation was underway to locate the child's parents for legal action.

Under Thai law, abandonment of a child under nine years old is punishable with a prison term of up to three years, a fine of up to 6,000 baht (135 GBP), or both.

Monitor lizards are a common predator in Southeast Asian countries. However, they usually feed on fish or small snakes and rarely attack humans.

(1 GBP = 44.37 THB)