Viral moment furry coati steals bag of snacks from sunbather’s table at Brazilian beach

This is the hilarious moment a coati snatched a bag of potato chips off a table before it was chased at a beach in Brazil.

Viral video showed the furry creature approaching the picnic table at Campeche Island in the southern state of Santa Catarina as it was sniffing around for food when it drew the attention of beachgoers.

The animal grabbed the bag with its mouth and started to made a quick exit when a woman at the table was startled by the uninvited visitor.

A man could be seen standing in front of the four-legged creature and attempting to stop it from leaving with his snack.

At first, the coati proved to be a bit to quick before the sunbather finally caught up to it and managed to wrestle away the bag of chips.

A man runs after a coati at a beach in Santa Catarina before recovering the bag of potato chips the four-legged creature had stolen from his table

Michael Cordeiro told Brazilian news outlet G1 that he recorded the showdown because it was rare to see coati up-close.

‘It’s very unpretentious. I only filmed it because it’s not common for me to see a coati …,’ he said. ‘I was filming the cute coati. Out of nowhere, he grabs it and tries to steal the packages of potatoes from the people who were in the beach.’

Coatis are native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America and South America.

Brazil’s Environmental Military Police urges people not to feed the animals and warned that they can bite.

Christian Raboch, a biologist, told the outlet that people should refrain from providing food to coatis because they can quickly become accustomed to foods that humans eat.

‘So, when they see the human being, they think that the human being is a source of food,’ he explained. ‘And then, they arrive to get a banana, they arrive to get a snack, some popcorn’.

Coatis are natives to the southwestern United States, Mexico, Central America and South America

Authorities warn people from approaching coatis over concerns that health issues may arise if they are bitten

Raboch warned that coatis can develop ‘health problems’ if they consume processed foods.

‘They begin to increase fat, they start to become more lethargic, more still, apart from the other complications that can end up causing,’ he said.

While the man came out on the victorious end of the confrontation by retrieving the bag of chips – which provided laughter for beachgoers – Raboch said the incident could have presented serious consequences.

‘Besides, sometimes people want to take it back and that animal can end up defending itself. It’s a wild animal, from the moment it’s cornered, scared, he could end up scratching, he could end up biting or even transmitting a disease to humans,’ he said.