This is the dramatic moment a king corba chased one of its own species through a pond before catching and swallowing it.

The larger reptile pounced on the smaller creature in Prachin Buri, central Thailand on June 14.

Residents watched in amazement as the serpents had a watery chase through the lagoon.

The 12ft long creature then caught the slimmer snake in its jaws and dragged it onto the grassy bank where it devoured its victim.

Shocked locals called the emergency services who arrived to catch the dark black king cobra.

The tail of the smaller snake could be seen poking out of its mouth. It was later taken away in a sack and released into deep woodland.

One of the snake wranglers, Yuth, said: "The victim was already dead in the bigger snake's mouth. We could not help it because it's the natural ecosystem."