(Source: Youtube/GeoBeatsNews)

A man in Australia got the shock of his life when a snake that he killed in the graveyard suddenly came alive and bit him. Jake Thomas was just mowing the lawn of a cemetery in eastern Australia when he saw a black snake with a red belly. The snake was hiding inside a vase on top of a tombstone.

The 66-year-old Australian who was volunteering his services at Werris Creek Cemetery told the Border Mail that the snake was about two feet hanging out. To prevent the snake from biting him, Mr Thomas grabbed a shovel and cut the snake in half.

He went back to cutting the grass and didn't give the snake another thought. A short while later or about 45 minutes, he returned to the vase and put his hand inside with the intention of throwing away the dead snake.

Mr Thomas was surprised when the snake grabbed his hand and hung on to him. He told the Daily Telegraph that his hand had "two little marks" from the snake's fangs. According to reports, Mr Thomas was spent two days in the hospital's intensive care unit and was given anti-venom vaccine.

The "dead" snake's bite caused Mr Thomas' hand to swell for a week.

According to James Murphy, Reptile Discovery Center head at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, snakes may have a bite reflex of up to 60 minutes after its death.

Liz Vella, a curator for the Australian Reptile Park, said people who have killed snakes or saw a dead snake should be careful. Ms Vella cautioned that snakes could still be venomous within the one-hour period after their death. Even if the snake's head is severed from its body, it is still capable of biting and injecting venom.

Mr Thomas has sworn never to go near snakes, dead or alive, in the future.

Watch the video of a decapitated snake biting itself:

(Source: Youtube/PabloDavid)

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