A California father may lose a limb after picking up a rattlesnake to take a selfie.

Alex Gomez, 36, reportedly picked up the reptile and draped it around his neck to get the ideal shot, but was bitten on the hand.

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He complained of “excruciating pain” as soon as he was bitten and was rushed to hospital, The Daily Telegraph reported.

“I’m shocked that he would have that thing around his neck,” his mother, Deborah, told KCBS-TV.

“It could’ve bit his neck and that would have been it. That’s just being a fool.”

Rattlesnakes are a constant danger in parts of the US, and don’t seem to enjoy selfies.

Last month, a San Diego man racked up a $153,000 hospital bill after attempting to pick up a snake from a bush to get a photograph.

It reportedly included $83,000 in antivenene.