Chinese farmers have caught a giant rat that had been terrorizing the village for weeks.

Farmers from Hunan Province of China caught the giant rat, which measured a meter long and weighed 5 kg, ten times the weight of an average rat.

The meter long rat, which has since been dubbed as "ratzilla," had been terrorizing villagers in Shaoyang. It had been caught devouring half its weight in whole fish-3 kg heavy fish.

Local farmers had eventually decided to band together to catch the giant rat, and managed to end up killing it with makeshift weapons. They then attempted to cut up the giant rat to eat it, but the two knives used to hack up the rodent broke, due to the tough skin and bones.

Rats and other rodents are considered a delicacy in southern China and in many parts of the world. Some parts of China claim that rat meat is three times healthier than chicken, and cook rat meat in stews, as well as soups, and also braise the meat as well. The use of rat or rodent in food had been a practicality as rodents previously subsisted on grain, berries and nuts.

Cases of monstrously sized rats are nothing new. In March, a giant rat infestation in Tehran-with rats weighing up to 5kg-failed to be controlled by tones of rat poison dumped into the sewers, and resorted to the use of snipers.

While the idea of giant rats may be terrifying, there are actually species of giant rats found in parts of the world such as Africa, Asia, New Guinea, and South America. While harmless, some have grown to be an invasive species due to their fast-populating nature. A species of giant rat, the Gambian Pouched Rat, have become a pest in Florida Keys after a breeder inadvertently allowed them to escape.