The turtle shell is a shield for the ventral and dorsal parts of turtles (the order Testudines), completely enclosing all the vital organs of the turtle and in some cases even the head. It is constructed of modified bony … See more

The carapace is the dorsal (back), convex part of the shell structure of a turtle, consisting of the animal's ossified ribs fused with the dermal bone. The spine and expanded ribs are fused through ossification to dermal plates beneath the skin to form a hard … See more

The turtle's shell is covered in scutes that are made of keratin. The individual scutes as shown above have specific names and are generally … See more

Bony dermal plates theory: the "Polka Dot Ancestor"
Zoologists have sought to explain the evolutionary origin of the turtles, and in particular of their … See more

The turtle shell is made up of numerous bony elements, generally named after similar bones in other vertebrates, and a series of See more

The plastron (plural: plastrons or plastra) is the nearly flat part of the shell structure of a turtle, what one would call the belly or ventral surface of the shell. It also includes within its structure the anterior and posterior bridge struts and the bridge of the shell. The … See more

The carapacial ridge plays an essential role in the development of the turtle shell. Embryological analyses show that the carapacial ridge initiates the formation of the turtle shell. It causes axial arrest which causes the ribs to be dorsalized, the shoulder girdle to … See more