Brisbane (Australia) (AFP) - A man known as "Mad Matt" appeared in an Australian court Monday after filming himself allegedly biting the head off a live rat and posting the video on Facebook.

Matthew Maloney, 24, was charged with animal cruelty following a raid by RSPCA investigators after the bizarre stunt in January.

He appeared briefly in the Brisbane Magistrates Court, making no plea, with the case adjourned until April 6, a court official said.

The video shows Maloney storming into a room, allegedly biting off the rat's head and washing it down with three shots of vodka. He then gets punched in the face and has a chair broken over his back before saying "beat that".

The clip, which remains on his "Mad Matts vids" Facebook page and been viewed more than 230,000 times, was reportedly an attempt to create a disturbing new social-media challenge.

After a string of comments branding him disgusting, Maloney posted a reply.

"All your comments are cracking me up and not one person out there will be able to say anything that will make me feel bad or make me regret what i did," he wrote.

"Its mother nature and mans gotta eat!"