A Scots hillwalker was left startled after stumbling upon a "really angry" adder that appeared ready to pounce at him.
Ian Stewart was visiting Glen Tilt near the Perthshire village of Blair Atholl when he made the surprising discovery. He was quick to whip out his phone and record footage of the aggressive adder.
In the video, Ian approaches the snake — which is Scotland's only venomous reptile — as it hisses loudly at him. He is able to get close-up footage of the adder, before backing away and stating that "it's ragin'".
He said: "Bumped into the little guy today, the sound you hear isn’t my heavy breathing it is in fact the Adder hissing very loudly. He wasn’t best pleased we were there."
He added: "We get adders all over Scotland in long grassy areas, if you see one best just look from a distance as the wee beast will just slither away to hide from us, I've seen a few in Aberdeen mostly in Hazelhead park and beside the Dee."
Before long, the video, posted on Taking to the Scotland from the Roadside Facebook group, had received comments from fellow Facebook users who were quick to issue warnings.
One issued advice to fellow Scots who see adders in the wild, stating: "Lovely creatures but stand well back that bite can be really bad."
A second echoed: "Lovely creature, but it’s not a good thing that you got so close it’s hissing."
A third added: "Ooh he's really angry! Beautiful snake though."
Meanwhile, a fourth joked: "Ooft! He's making it known you need to gtf."
According to Nature Scot, adders are mostly timid creatures that will only bite when threatened, with their primary defence mechanism being to hide in undergrowth.
However, the snakes will lash out in order to escape from a potential threat, and so anyone who spots an adder in the wild is urged to "leave it alone and let it move away quietly of its own accord".
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