This crayfish ripped its own claw off to escape being cooked in a spicy soup

A crayfish was so desperate to get out of hot water that it ripped its own claw off.

The crustacean was nearing its death in a boiling pot of spicy soup, and was filmed clinging precariously on to the edge of a pan.

In an impressive display of strength and determination, it used its right claw to slide its left one off into the soup at a restaurant in China.

The feat was captured on video and originally posted to Chinese social media site Weibo by a user named Jiuke.

The crayfish was spared and moved to an aquarium, where it now lives.

According to the BBC, Jiuke told concerned Weibo commenters: “I let him live, I already took him home and am raising him in an aquarium.”

The video has been viewed more than one million times after it was posted to Facebook.