A snake has been captured on camera playing dead after a homeowner found the reptile in her back garden. 

The eastern hognose lays still as if dead much to the amusement of Amber McKinney, who shot the clip in Indiana, US, earlier this month.

Snake lover Amber said she hopes to change people’s perception of reptiles with the video, reports the Story Trender.

She said: ‘I filmed the video at my house behind my shed at the edge of the woods.

‘It made me laugh. Snakes are known to do this but it’s the first time I’ve witnessed it personally.  It’s very dramatic.

‘I had walked behind my shed to throw out some compost. When I spotted him in the leaves, he started puffing up and flattening his head to make himself look larger.

‘Then started rolling around like he was ill. I ran back in to grab my phone hoping he would still be there when I got back.

‘He was but it was the final ‘death’ scene where the basically just roll over and pretend to be dead.

‘I picked him up a couple of times to show that he wasn’t actually dead, just putting on a show.

‘It went on for a few minutes. I only touched him twice after I started recording. I didn’t want to stress him so left him after that.

‘Snakes are often very misunderstood. A lot of people fear them for no other reason than that they just exist.

‘I was hoping by sharing the video, it would show a cuter or more interesting aspect of a snake.  The reactions have been great.

‘People who don’t like snakes find it cute. Others have just been fascinated by the behavior because it’s something they’ve never witnessed.  I don’t think I’ve had one negative reaction, which is great.’