What is a turtle’s shell made of?

There are two parts to a turtle’s shell. The upper part is called the carapace, and the lower part is called the plastron. Most of the shell is the animal’s fused spine and ribs and is made of bone. A bony bridge joins the carapace and plastron around the sides of the turtle. Scutes

Shell shock

The turtle’s shell is covered with plates made of keratin, called scutes. The carapace has roughly 38 scutes, and the plastron has 12 to 14. The pattern and design of scutes varies from species to species. Some turtles, such as the leatherback sea turtle, don’t have scutes. Instead, the shell is covered by a thick, leathery skin embedded with bony deposits called osteoderms.

The bony parts of the turtle’s shell have blood vessels and a nervous system, so when a shell is injured, it can cause bleeding and pain.