A baby monitor lizard was caught hiding in a grandmother's bedroom in Thailand.

The hatchling sparked alarm when it slithered into the house of Boonpha Mee-ngern, 67, in Nakhon Ratchasima, on May 19.

The pensioner called reptile catchers to report that a lizard 'as large as a kindergarten pupil' had scuttled into her bedroom.

Officers rushed to the scene with snare poles, steeling themselves to wrangle a huge Godzilla-like beast - only to find a puny lizard hiding under the woman's bed.

Footage shows the volunteers plucking the 12-inch animal from the floor and taking it back to their truck.

A reptile catcher said: 'We rushed to the house because we thought the monitor lizard would be enormous. We were all shocked when it turned out to be so small. Still, it took us more than 10 minutes to catch because we had to move around the bed and chairs. Its smaller size made it more difficult to catch.'

Boonpha later admitted she had not been wearing glasses when she saw the scaly trespasser.

She said: 'I saw a vague shape and was immediately terrified because I was alone in the house. I didn't know the lizard would be so small.'

Wildlife officers warned that more monitor lizards may enter villagers' homes during the rainy season, when the creatures start seeking mates during their breeding period.

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.