A snake was captured slithering off with a rat in its mouth at Ramla Bay over the weekend.

In the video, the snake can be seen shifting its way across the hot sand with beach-goers going about their day in the background.

@lovinmaltaofficialIt’s not every day you see an episode of Planet Earth happening in front of you 👀 by Donna Portelli 📹 ##fyp ##malta ##gozo ##beach ##snake ##nationalgeo♬ original sound – Lovin Malta

Though it may be a scary sight for many, the person behind the camera was grateful for the opportunity to see nature in action.

“Since I am South African, we experience close encounters with wildlife quite often, so I really appreciate being lucky enough to see these quite rare occasions of the beauty of wildlife and nature here too,” Donna Portelli told Lovin Malta.

“I’m especially happy when my kids get to see and learn about these creatures in their natural habitat,” she said.

While Malta has a number of indigenous snake species, they tend to shy away from the public and sightings are quite rare nowadays, meaning seeing one in action can be quite the shock factor.

|We need to appreciate the fact that even though they might be scary they play a huge role in the ecosystem too. Put fear aside and admire the beauty,” Donna said.

“Had it been a spider though…”

Tag someone who hates snakes