Photographer forced to drop camera as venomous snake takes over

A reptile photographer has had a close encounter with an inquisitive snake during a photoshoot, capturing the moment the highly venomous dugite curled itself around his equipment.

Ross McGibbon, a Perth-based wildlife photographer and professional snake-catcher, was filming the snake - from a distance - at Lort River near Esperance when it began heading his way.

Retreating to a safe distance, he filmed the snake as it curled itself around his Canon.

Posting the footage on Facebook, McGibbon wrote: "I had to surrender my camera to the snake while it explored it with interest.

"The snake then decided I was in-between it and its escape route ... Watch as the snake uses defensive posturing to intimidate me into retreating to allow it room to escape."

McGibbon says the posturing "should not be mistaken for 'aggression' or 'chasing'. It is simply instinctual defensive behaviour designed to put any perceived predators on the back foot to afford them the opportunity to escape."

In his post accompanying the footage, McGibbon says snakes usually only bite humans or domestic animals as "a last resort."

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"It is certainly not because snakes are evil and want to harm people and their pets," he writes.

"They are simply wild animals trying to survive in a hostile environment."