A hungry cat was filmed crunching its way through a dead snake.

The moggy is believed to have killed the venomous reptile after a fight in the Aichi prefecture, Japan. It chews through the serpent after biting off its head and devouring the body as two others cats look on enviously.

The cat - one of a number of strays around the Chita peninsula area - was unharmed despite its victim being the venomous Rhabdophis tigrinus species.

Onlooker Cocoa Iroha recorded the scene on her university campus last month and said she was ''shocked'' because the cat is ''normally gentle''.

She said: ''The cat thought the snake tasted better than rice. It had to take a nap after it had finished eating.

''But I feel sorry for the snake. I hope it rests in peace. Cats are supposed to catch rats and mice.

''This cat I see near my home and it is usually very gentle. I found it at the beginning and the snake was already missing its head. It looked horrible.

''This snake might even have been poisonous but I don't think it affected the cat.

''The other cat was just looking on and growling. They are normally good friends and play with each other.

''If it was a contest like cat v snake then clearly the cat won this time. The video has been popular. A lot of people think it's quite gruesome.''