Brisbane family get a shock as python grabs possum by face, hoists it into tree

It took the python 30 minutes to pull the possum back up into the tree.

A Brisbane family watched in amazement as a giant python grabbed a possum by the face and hoisted it into its treetop lair in their backyard.

The determined carpet python refused to lose its dinner, hanging from the tree for 30 minutes with the possum's snout clenched in its jaws.

"Oh my God. I can't believe that thing has grip," a child can be heard saying in the video.

Peter McMaster captured the spectacle on his phone.

"We couldn't believe what we were seeing," Mr McMaster told the Brisbane Times.

"You don't see that every day."

Mr McMaster says his three daughters got a real kick out of the natural spectacle — appreciating it from a distance, of course.

"They are huge animal lovers, in particular, my eldest daughter."

It is not the first time the family have come across a python in the backyard, after one of their dogs "intervened" when a snake caught a flying fox.

However, after seeing the python's show of strength Mr McMaster said he would be keeping a closer eye on his two dogs.

"I'm seeing less [possums] and I'm starting to realise why."

While he said he had contacted Brisbane snake catchers for advice, Mr McMaster said he was happy to leave the python alone.

"I assume the snake is still in the tree as it takes some time for it to digest a large animal like that," Mr McMaster said.