A 20-foot-long snow sculpture of a fearsome shark has become a local tourist attraction.

Carlos Maldonado said he created the Jaws-like snow carving with his two sons, which took them nearly five hours to sculpt it.

The following day, he spent another hour-and-a-half to color it with watered-down acrylic paint.

The sculptor, who is the owner of Carlos Maldonado Artwork in Iowa City, Iowa, US, said: 'I didn't really want to do anything plain'.

He added: 'I looked up snow sculptures. When I saw a shark online, I figured I could do that.

Maldonado pictured with his son Oscar with the completed shark

Carlos Maldonado said he created the Jaws-like snow carving with his two sons, which took them nearly five hours to sculpt it

The sculptor, who is the owner of Carlos Maldonado Artwork in Iowa City, Iowa, US, said: 'I didn't really want to do anything plain'

He shared images of the finished artwork on his 'Carlos Maldonado Art' Facebook page

'So, I gave it a shot and this is what we ended up with.'

He shared images of the finished artwork on his 'Carlos Maldonado Art' Facebook page.

Carlos also included his home address and asked visitors 'Just please don't climb on it.'

Speaking to CBS Iowa, Maldonado's sons explained their role in building the icy apex predator. 

'I was packing the snow. Then next, my dad spray painted it. My brother worked on the tiny fin over there,' Gale Maldonado said. 

'It was really hard. I had to go inside many times, it got really cold,' his brother Oscar added. 

'I like people stopping by and taking pictures with it,' the artist told the station.  

His post went viral with over 1,200 reactions, nearly 500 shares, and hundreds of comments.

This was followed by hordes of locals descending on his street to view the icy masterpiece.

One visitor, Anastasia Morton, said: 'My fiancé had seen this online on Facebook.

'And we just thought it was a really good idea to bring our kids out to be able to see what creativity and what they can really do with snow.

'It will be a very good memory for my kids.'

One local commented: 'What a talent you have.

'You've been blessed. I've seen some really cool sand sculptures on Ft. Myers Beach but not a snow sculpture.

'Super Cool/'

Lindsey said: 'This is amazing. I'm obsessed with sharks, great choice.'

Gabriela wrote: 'Thank you for making Iowa City a fun place to enjoy art.'

Mandy remarked: 'We came by to see this last night. Amazing work.

'Thanks for sharing it with the community.'

Keven commented: 'You're about to get a good amount of visitors today.

'Co-workers asked to go see it! I'll be there as well at some point today.'

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