When sophomore Brennan Nolan recently went with his family to the Linganore Winery for a peaceful excursion, he did not expect to see a Chelydra s. serpentina. This massive creature, which Nolan estimated to be over a foot long, has the biting power to completely remove a human finger with one snap of the jaws. The beast from the family Chelydridae has a long fossil history; its oldest family ancestor was the mighty Emarginachelys cretacea. 

The soup made from its flesh is considered a  delicacy in cuisines all over the world.

Nolan must have been very relieved to learn that this shelled fiend was none other than the common snapping turtle — a species found all over Maryland.