The scary part about large snapping turtles is that their heads can go from being in shell to fully extended of about 12 inches (lotta neck) in a split second... Very much like a snake strike... And yeah, they bite down very hard... Enough to kill or maim a cat without workin' up a sweat...

Thanks (almost) all for the supportive words and, yes...

...I did dispose of it's body in a respectful manner...

B~