This is the moment a snake slithers out of a lake with a large fish in its fangs before finding a quiet spot to tuck in.

The incident was filmed at a private property near the city of Jaragua do Sul in the Brazilian state of Santa Catarina on the afternoon of 4th December.

The cameraperson, Caio Cesar de Lima Silva, 20, said the snake was filmed at his family’s property and that they had never seen anything like it before.

Caio said: “We kept finding fish randomly along the edge of the lake. It was a mystery until we saw the snake.

“The snakes have lived here for a while. In the winter, they disappear and then return in the summer.”

He added that he has seen snakes in the lake before, but never one with a fish in its mouth.

Biologist Christian Raboch of the Jaraguaense Environmental Foundation (Fujama) said the snake in the video is a water snake, specifically a military ground snake, also known as a common water snake (Erythrolamprus miliaris), and that it is not poisonous.

Raboch added: “It is quite common to see them near a lake or stream. They mainly feed on fish, amphibians, toads, and tree frogs.”