This was the cunning moment a lizard played dead to escape from the jaws of a snake.

The hapless tokay gecko was captured by the venomous golden tree snake earlier this month in Bangkok, Thailand.

As the snake wrapped itself around the lizard it began biting into its lip to slowly subdue it with poison before swallowing it hole.

But as the reptile momentarily turned its back, the gecko seized on its lapse of concentration to make a daring escape.

Amusing footage shows the gecko quickly scamper away with the snake in pursuit slithering across the road.

The snake then accepts defeats and turns back while the lizard runs away victorious after the incident on September 18.

Onlooker Tong Fuller, 35, a taxi driver, said: ''The snake was eating the lizard but he was taking some time.

''Nobody helped the lizard because that is just nature, the snakes have to eat.

''But the lizard was a bit smarter than the snake. It broke free when his opponent wasn't looking. It wasn't his time to be eaten yet.''