A clever rat snake pretended to die after failing to ‘defeat’ an animal rescuer.

The serpent was found cheekily blocking a road so residents called the rescue team for help in Uthai Thani province, Thailand on May 21.

However, it was too aggressive and attacked one of the wrangles who was trying to secure it inside a sack.

Despite landing at least three bites on the volunteer, the nonvenomous snake realised it would not defeat the man so the smart wild snake played dead ‘to survive'.

Animal rescuer worker Supalak Youngkrungkao said: ‘I tried catching it with leather gloves but it was too aggressive and bit me.

‘I softly slapped the snake to give it an impression that we were fighting as a strategy.’

When the snake played dead, the rescue team placed it inside a sack and drove away from the village for release.

Rat snakes are nonvenomous and would pretend to die when it thinks that it could not defeat an enemy to escape later.