Man bitten by snake despite following expert advice to stand still

A NSW man who thought standing still would save him from getting bitten by a snake was proved wrong when he was suddenly attacked.

Jono Roberts, from Forbes in the state's west, filmed himself remaining calm as a 1m snake slithered down the road and between his thongs.

But just as the reptile appears to pass him it turns and sink its fangs into his ankle before being flicked away with a swift kick.

Mr Roberts' video has been viewed over 300,000 times since it was posted to Facebook on Monday.

"Tried the old stand still trick," Mr Roberts wrote in the post.

"Always show respect and never get too complacent."

Taronga Zoo reptile keeper Stuart Kozlowski said the video was "very unusual" because snakes are very unlikely to attack unless provoked.

"We've never seen anything like that before," he told ninemsn.

"In all my experience as a keeper and with snakes in the wild the best advice is always to stand still. That's what makes the video so unusual."

Mr Kozlowski said it's likely the snake was spooked when it brushed past Mr Roberts' foot or picked up a scent.

Regardless, standing still remains the best bet for bushwalkers who stumble upon a snake.

"Unless I see 15 more videos like that I don’t think I'll be changing my advice," he said.