Watch: 'I see a raptor!' - Is a baby dinosaur on the loose in Florida?

A US woman claims a "baby dinosaur" ran through her garden - and says she has the video to prove it.

Florida woman Cristina Ryan is convinced a juvenile velociraptor took an early morning short cut through her back yard over the weekend, but others who have seen the video aren't convinced.

The video was shot at 3.40am and shows something moving quickly through the shot - with the brief appearance capturing the imagination of many, particularly Ryan.

"Any animal we can come up with that would be 'walking' at 3.40 in the morning, wouldn't walk this way," she told local news outlet FOX 35.

"Maybe I've watched Jurassic Park too many times, but I see a raptor or other small dinosaur!"

She claims that everyone that she has shown the video to also thinks it features the prehistoric predator.

"Some say a large bird, but that makes no sense - since whatever it is appears to have front legs. So not sure? Lol. I'm sticking with raptor myself," she said.

Commenters were not convinced and offered series of alternatives, including:

• A bearded dragon

• A dog with a bucket on its head

• A turkey

• A peacock

• A small alligator

• An iguana

• A monitor lizard trailing a capture rope

• A Florida crested caracara

• A skunk (with its tail up)

A long-suffering mum noted that she showed her 6-year-old the video and was now being asked to set up dinosaur traps in their back yard.

If life did find a way and a baby dinosaur is on the loose in Florida, it will join a long list of invasive species that have colonised the state.

Burmese pythons, cane toads, giant African land snails and the South American tegu lizard all currently present a threat to native ecosystems - but a velociraptor would up the stakes considerably.