A seemingly friendly king cobra coiled in a tree appeared to pose for pictures when a resident spotted it.

Footage shows the 8ft (2m) serpent slinking around the branches of a palm tree while a local was pointing his camera towards it in Krabi, Thailand, on December 14.

It did not move while looking at the device and bowed its head to follow the phone when it was lowered.

The curious animal did not hurt the resident, who was holding the device from a selfie stick to keep their distance.

Its close-up pictures were taken without anyone harmed, and the snake was left alone in its habitat.

The unusually friendly cobra is a dark contrast to their fearsome reputation.

Researchers found that in Thailand, 7,000 people are treated for snake bites each year. Suchai Suteparuk from the Division of Toxicology at Chulalongkorn University reported that 30 of those die, with cobras being the biggest killer.