This is the adorable moment a real meerkat was spotted sitting in a backpack alongside a teddy bear, leaving passersby questioning reality.

Onlookers were left puzzled when they saw the mongoose lounging inside a striped blue carrier, leaning closely against its lookalike stuffed toy in Samut Prakan, Thailand.

The plush toy, strapped to the side of the bag and similar in size to the animal, initially led people to believe there were two meerkat dolls.

However, upon closer inspection, curious locals realised one of them was a living creature calmly observing the street.

Footage captured by Albany Myers shows the African suricate comfortably resting in the backpack worn by its owner, who had just picked up his son from school on June 17.

The bag also featured a miniature meerkat keychain dangling from the zipper.

Albanysaid: 'I had to walk closer to the man just to make sure I wasn't hallucinating, and I was surprised to see it really was a meerkat inside the bag.'