An enormous snapping turtle which has a chew so vicious it may kill has been seized close to a youngsters’s park within the Italian metropolis of Turin.

The turtle, initially from the USA, was seized after being illegally imported into Italy.

The animal, which weighed round 16 kilograms, was discovered within the Rio Fellone canal near a youngsters’s playground.

The Carabinieri mentioned the animal was so harmful that it may very well be a hazard “even for humans”.

In a press release, the Carabinieri mentioned: "The specimen falls within the wild species that constitute a danger to public health and safety, and its marketing and possession are absolutely not permitted."

They added that the animal "constitutes a danger even for humans".

Following its seizure, the animal has been taken to a detention centre while the Carabinieri examine.

According to native media, the animal is being stored on the University Veterinary Hospital of Turin.

It is believed that the animal can be relocated to a park the place it will be unable to hurt people.

According to stories, the animal is ready to chew down with a stress of 71 psi, better than a lion or nice white shark.

The alligator snapping turtle, also referred to as a Macrochelys temminckii, is the most important turtle of its sort within the USA.

They can develop as much as one and a half metres lengthy and weigh greater than 100 kilograms.

Although the alligator snapping turtle is a harmful species, it is usually an endangered one.

In latest years it has been categorised as a weak species as folks use its meat for cooking, driving the numbers down.