Two king cobras were seen locked in a display of ritualised combat as they tussled with each other to win the affections of a female.

The snakes wrapped their bodies around each other as they reared their heads in a reptile wrestling match.

Farmer Teerayut Aiadwong recorded the two cobras, estimated to be around 10ft long, while he was walking to his farm in Nakhon Si Thammarat, southern Thailand, on March 2.

He left the pair to their dual - with the more powerful of the two eventually earning the right to try and mate with a desirable female cobra.

Teerayut said: "They are putting all of their effort in fighting because the winner will have a chance to mate the female cobra, who might be awaiting nearby."

Male snakes often engage in what is known as "plaiting combat," with rivals twisting coiling around each other until the weaker creature gives up.