A snake catcher has had a near miss with a deadly red-bellied snake that struck out with a potentially lethal bite and only narrowly missed his face.

Stuart McKenzie, who is known as @sunnycoastsnakecatchers on TikTok, was called to a business shop in the town of Yandina, northeast Australia, to capture a serpent that curled up in a rat trap.

In the video he shared, the professional pops open the plastic trap box outside installed outside the premise and a huge 5ft snake comes slithering.

Sturt takes a quick step back before grabbing the venomous snake by the tail and trying to trap it into a bag.

"Look at the size of him!" he says.

"He's nice and warm and ready to go. That is a massive red-bellied black snake."

The wild creature refuses to be captured and keeps wiggling while Stuart grabs onto its tail.

Trying to keep everything under control, the snake catcher reaches for the bag but the reptile launches itself from the ground up to four inches close to Stuart's face.

The snake catcher quickly yanks back and avoids getting bitten by the snake.

He drops it into the bag and lets out a sigh of relief, adding: "That was about four inches from my face."

Viewers agreed and said it was a "close call" for Stuart.

One asked if Stuart carried any anti-venom with him when he was out for a job. He replied: "No we don't. We have to stay still and apply a snake bite bandage like anyone else and get an ambulance."

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Another wondered if snake catchers usually handle venomous snake without any tools.

Stuart said most professionals would follow the approach of "free handle" as it is safer for both the snake and the catcher.

"We can feel its movement better and have more control," he added.

A third commented: "My soul left my body while watching this."

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