Video Shows Great Blue Heron Devouring Central Park Rat Whole

The Great Blue Heron may be the answer to NYC's infamous growing rat problem ... taking out one rodent by feasting on it -- whole -- in Central Park.

Video of the wild feast is going viral online ... with users on Reddit just about losing it over the graphic demonstration of predator vs. prey.

Watch the video ... according to the original poster, the jaw-dropping incident took place on Saturday as they did a bit of yoga in the park with a friend -- and found themselves watching a scene they described as "dinosaurian."

The bird brings the mortally wounded rat into its beak -- and proceeds to swallow the poor creature in a series of gulps -- with the outline of the rodent showing in the bird's throat, similar to a snake slowly devouring its kill!

The original poster quipped ... "The battle did not go well for the rat, and the process was not a sight for the faint of heart."

Great Blue Herons are pretty common in NYC, so maybe the city can put these birds to work.

Though the heron normally prefers to go after fish ... the species will often also hunt a variety of smaller prey -- including reptiles, small mammals and even smaller birds.