When you think of animals with shells, the first thing that comes to mind is turtles. However, many other species have morphological structures of this type, designed to protect them from predators and allow them to survive. Do you know other animals with shells? our site presents you with this list of examples with images Keep reading!
What is a shell?
The shell is a structure that covers the body of some animals, vertebrates or invertebrates. This shell functions as a "shield" that protects the animal according to its needs.
Turtles are the best-known animals with shells, but also shrimp, molluscs of the Bivalvia class, among other species, have structures of this type. Due to the variety of animals that present them, it can be rigid and almost indestructible, or flexible and membranousIn the same way, some cover the animal's body almost completely, enveloping it in the form of sectional plates.
Broadly speaking, this answers the question of what a shell is, but what is its function? Let's go there!
What are the shells of animals used for?
The carapace or shell fulfills various functions in the animal world:
- Provides shelter from inclement weather
- Protects against predators
- Protects internal organs
- Allows a better adaptation to the habitat of the species
Also, the shell may or may not shed. Turtles, for example, have a shell that grows with them, leaving only the legs, tail and head free. Other species, such as crabs and lobsters, have a rigid structure that covers the entire body, including the legs, eyes and mouthparts. Also, crabs change shells as they grow. During the molt, they are vulnerable to predator attack and the empty shell can be used by other species.
On the other hand, in molluscs the shell is called concha This shell is made up of amineral tissue secreted by the mollusk itself, through a structure called the mantle. Thanks to this, the shell forms and protects the soft body of the mollusk.
List of animals with shells
Next, discover these examples with images of animals with shells:
1. Mediterranean tortoise
The Mediterranean tortoise (Testudo hermanni), like other species of Testudines, has a wide and short body, and has a shell made up of rigid bony scales It is one of the types of land turtles. The upper part is usually convex and is called the carapace, while the lower, smoother, flatter part is called the plastron.
In this species, the shell has a yellow and black coloration that serves to identify it. In addition to its protective function, the shell is a means of thermoregulation, since the turtle exposes it to the sun to warm you.
two. Painted Turtle
The painted turtle (Trachemys scripta) is a species of sea turtle that lives in fresh water. It is distributed in the swamps and lagoons found in North America and Mexico, although today it can be found in captivity in almost the entire world, as it is a of the species most used as pets.
The sea and land turtles have some differences, including the shell. Sea turtles need to offer less resistance to water currents to swim faster, for this reason, they have a smooth, flat shell with few rough edges
For its part, the shell of the tortoise presents greater hardness and irregularities on the upper part, as a way of adding extra protection against predators, as it complicates the task of taking or biting them. These differences also serve to distinguish some species from others.
3. Giant African Snail
The Giant African snail (Achatina fulica) is a animal with a shell and antennaeIt is a gastropod mollusc native to Africa, although it is currently possible to find it in other parts of the world, where it is considered an invasive species. It is one of the most extravagant types of land snails, due to its large size. The shell is shaped like a spiral and protects the internal organs, as well as serving as a refuge from predators, since the shell is able to fold inside it.
4. Giant Clam
The giant clam (Tridacna gigas) belongs to a group of marine molluscsof which there are almost 13,000 different species. The shell has two valves or parts, joined through a hinge, in addition, in the giant clam, these valves have a wavy edge. They live attached to coral reefs and do not have a head, tentacles or jaw.
5. Common Nautilus
It is a cephalopod mollusc considered a living fossil, due to the antiquity of the species. It has a developed and hard shell that can measure between a few millimeters to 30 centimeters, through which thin tentacles protrude. The Nautilus (Nautilus pompilius) lives at the bottom of the sea and feeds on fish or carrion.
6. Stone crab
The Moorish crab (Menippe mercenaria) is a decapod crustacean that is distributed along the coasts of Central America and part of North America. The exoskeleton of crabs is a shell formed from quinine and calcium carbonate, components that give it its characteristic hardness. In addition to shells, crabs have claws made of the same components. The exoskeleton sheds as they grow.
7. Reef Lobster
The reef lobster (Enoplometopus holthuisi) is a species in the same family as crabs. It is characterized by a hard shell that in some varieties can be spiny or smooth. Also, the lobster is another animal with a shell and antennae. They usually live in reefs, between 20 and 80 meters deep, where they feed on carrion and fish.
8. Sacred Scarab
The sacred beetle (Scarabaeus sacer) is an insect that lives in the Mediterranean, where it lives in marshy areas and near the sand. Like other Coleoptera, it has a hard exoskeleton. This exoskeleton is made up of various plates, called scleritis, and cover almost the entire body. Thanks to the structure of plates, the beetles are flexible, but their bodies are resistant to predators or the effects of the weather.
9. Pacific Cleaner Shrimp
The Pacific Cleaner Shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis) are decapod crustaceans that live on reefs in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. They measure up to 6 centimeters, have 10 legs and a sectional body that has a fragile shell. This shell starts from the forehead and from there covers, with divided plates, the thorax, abdomen and tail.
10. American dog tick
The American dog ticko (Dermacentor variabilis) is an ectoparasitic insectof the mite family. They often parasitize mammals such as dogs, cats, and horses, and are difficult to get rid of. The reason? They have a hard exoskeleton that protects their internal organs. As in beetles, the shell is sectional, covering the thorax and abdomen, in males, or the head area in females.
Other animals with shells
Now you know the 10 animals with shells, because we present examples with images. However, there are many other species that have this structure. These are some of them:
- Gallera (Squilla mantis)
- Gregaria locust (Munida gregaria)
- Nage (Necora puber)
- European lobster (Homarus gammarus)
- Patagonian shrimp (Pleoticus muelleri)
- Giant cockroach (Blaberus craniifer)
- Cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis)
- Ground Mealybug (Armadillidium vulgare)
- Nine-Banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus)
- Argentine cockroach (Blaptica dubia)
- Morrocoy (Chelonoidis carbonaria)
- Crab (Cancer pagurus)
- Yellow clam (Amarilladesma mactroides)
- Patagonian crab (Lithodes santolla)
- Nephrops norvegicus
- Chiton or sea cockroach (Chiton articulatus)
- Scale-footed snail (Chrysomallon squamiferum)
- Boxfish (Lactoria cornuta)
- Scrab (Maia squinado)
- Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis)