# is the shell connected to the body?



## Robertchrisroph (Jan 20, 2015)

My daughter asked me this question. ( she is 27 ) I said no its like the cartoons Reyanna they can come out and run away from it. I could not stop laughing. She was serious


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## Yvonne G (Jan 20, 2015)

You might laugh, but you'd be surprised at just how many people really don't know the answer to that question.


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## naturalman91 (Jan 20, 2015)

you'd be surprised how often i get asked " can a turtle change they're shell like a hermit crab" lol


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## Tom (Jan 20, 2015)

I suppose that is a fair question from someone who does not keep chelonians.

You could have a lot of fun answering that though...


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## wellington (Jan 20, 2015)

What, you mean they can? What am I going to do with all the cool painted tortoise shells I bought
I agree if your not into tortoises, you probably wouldn't know.


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## N2TORTS (Jan 20, 2015)

Basic Tortoise Anatomy & Biology
The most obvious feature of any tortoise or turtle is its shell. This is the animal’s primary defense mechanism against would-be predators, which has remained almost unaltered by two hundred million years of evolution. This basically is an extension of the rib cage, which unlike most vertebrates is housed on the "outside" rather than being inside the body.
The shell is made up two halves, the underneath known as the plastron and the top half known as the carapace. Both parts are fused together at the sides by a "bridge".
The whole shell of a tortoise is actually made up of numerous small bones which are covered by separate plates of keratin called "scutes". As a tortoise grows, extra layers of keratin are added underneath the existing layer , causing "growth rings". Unfortunately contrary to popular belief an animal cannot be accurately aged by counting these rings. However they can tell us approximately how many spurts of growth the animal has had, thus we could also gauge what type of seasonal changes the animal has in it's natural environment. Abundant vegetation means more food, which relates to more growth. Sparse vegetation due to extreme climatic conditions would normally mean little food , leading to little or no keratin growth, i.e. when a tortoise enters a state of aestivation or brumation.
Read more here …….
http://www.thetortoiseshop.com/basic-tortoise-anatomy-biology

and a very good 3D insight......

http://www.scientific-art.com/portfolio vetmed pages/tortanat.htm


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## ascott (Jan 20, 2015)

Robertchrisroph said:


> My daughter asked me this question. ( she is 27 ) I said no its like the cartoons Reyanna they can come out and run away from it. I could not stop laughing. She was serious




This may be a visual help in answering the question....

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread...-outside-in-interesting-for-reference.105610/


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## Robertchrisroph (Jan 21, 2015)

This is so nice. Thank you


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