A shell is a hard, rigid outer layer, which has evolved in a very wide variety of different animals, including mollusks, sea urchins, crustaceans, turtles and tortoises, armadillos, etc ...

A turtle's shell is part of the reptile's skeleton, and it protects some of the strangest features in the animal kingdom. Here's what's inside.

In three dimensions, the spirals and cauliflower-like crimps on the shell’s interior come to life. Virtual models of the septa, used to create the 3D prints, are an iridescent fever dream.

The animals constantly grew new shell material as they aged, ... As ammonites evolved throughout the Mesozoic era, between 252 and 66 million years ago, their shell structures grew smaller, ...

Shells, exoskeletons, scales—it makes us wonder about these real-life super suits. Just how strong are they? Meet the animals that scientists have turned to for body armor “bioinspiration.” ...

How did this unusual structure evolve? One of Aesop’s fables tells of the wedding of Zeus and Hera. Hermes had invited all the animals, but the turtle did not show up.

Because the argonaut still carries around a nautilus-shell-like construction, it has fueled the scientific debate about whether, and how, an animal can lose such a structure during the course of ...

Brown University. "Not all of nature's layered structures are tough as animal shells and antlers." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com / releases / 2020 / 01 / 200117110836.htm (accessed May 10, 2025).

— -- A tortoise has a second chance in life after a team of designers in Brazil custom-made a shell for the reptile, which was badly burned in a fire. The Animal Avengers, the animal rescue ...

A heart cockle shell has been found to let in light through a design that resembles fiber optic cables. This could inspire everything from helping coral survive to designing new camera lenses.