When we recollect of animals with shells, our commencement thought might be the turtle. Their shell is not but part of the turtle's trunk, but role of a larger cultural identity and historical mythology. However, there are many types of animals with shells. They are designed to protect animals against predators, but also accept other uses which help them to survive. The diversity of animals with shells ways is fascinating which is why AnimalWised brings you this list of animals with shells, providing examples and pictures for reference.
What is a shell?
The shell is a structure which protects all or part of an animal'due south trunk. They occur in nature on both vertebrates and invertebrates. The trounce functions every bit a shield to protect the animal co-ordinate to its individual needs.
While turtles are perhaps the best known examples, animals with shells also include shrimp and bivalve mollusks such as clams and snails. Due to the variety of animals which have a shell, the structure itself can be either rigid and almost indestructible or flexible and bleary. Similarly, some shells cover nigh all of the animal's body, while others might merely exist part of their morphology. Some shells are entire while others are parts of a segmented system.
If you lot are asking what animals with shells are chosen, then it'south of import to note there is no one term. This is because the taxonomy of shelled animals is so big. The shell itself may take different names, but it tin can always be described as a shell. For instance, some marine animals with shells such as a turtle or lobster have a carapace, simply a snail's beat is simply known equally a shell.
What are animal shells used for?
As we state above, an brute'southward shell is used for protection. The more than specific reasons include:
- Offer protection from inclement atmospheric condition
- Protect against predators
- Protect internal organs
- Allows for better adaptation to the animal'south habitat
Additionally, some shells may move while others will not exist able to perform this office. Turtles take a shell which covers the main role of their torso, just leaves their caput, limbs and tail free. Other species such as venereal and lobsters have a shell which covers their unabridged body. Some animals modify their beat as they grow. Crabs molt their crush and take to wait until their new crush hardens. During this time they are more vulnerable to predators. Another animals may used their old vanquish for their own purposes.
For bivalve mollusks such every bit snails or mussels, their shell is made upward of mineral tissue. These minerals are secreted by the mollusk themselves through a construction known every bit the mantle. Thanks to this process, the shell is forme don top of the drapery and protects the mollusks soft body.
Listing of animals with shells
We now provided y'all are list of animals with shells. Included is diverse information nigh the characteristics of each fauna as well as a photo:
1. Herman'south tortoise (Testudo hermanni)
The Herman's tortoise, as with other turtle species, has a short, bu wide torso and a crush consisting of rigid os scales. As with all tortoises, they are a type of land turtle which does not need to alive in h2o to carry out certain functions. The dorsal part of the carapace is the office which points upwardly when right side up. The underneath part is chosen the plastron.
In this species, the shell has yellowish and black coloring which helps us to identify them. In addition to protection, the trounce is also a means of thermoregulation as exposing it to the sun helps radiate heat through the trunk underneath.
2. Swimming slider (Trachemys scripta)
The pond slider is a species of semi-aquatic turtle that lives in and effectually freshwater. Information technology is distributed in the swamps and lagoons of North America and Mexico, possessing the ability to swim and walk on the banks. It has gained popularity as a pet and cam present be found in captivity almost all over the earth.
Marine and land turtles have some differences, including the shell. Sea turtles need less resistance in water currents to swim faster. For this reason, they take a smoother and flatter crush.
For land turtles, their shells tend to be harder and have more irregular shapes. The purpose of this is both to help camouflage against predators and to help forestall them front end getting purchase when they are bitten. These differences also help united states to differentiate between unlike turtle species.
3. African behemothic snail (Achatina fulica)
The giant African snail is an fauna with both a shell and antennae. They are a gastropod mollusk which originates in Africa, although they can be found in other parts of the globe. In these other places they are often considered a an invasive species. Due to its large size, they are 1 of the most extravagant land snails. The shell has a screw shape and protects the snails internal organs. They can also seek refuge from predators by retracting completely back inside their shell.
four. Giant clam
The giant clam belongs to a group of marine animals with shells. They are a clam, but there are almost thirteen,000 different species of behemothic clam. The shell has 2 parts joined together with a hinge. The edges of these parts are fringed with 4 or 5 vertical folds, helping to distinguish them from other clam species. They alive attached to coral reefs and accept no head, appendages or jaws.
5. Chambered nautilus (Nautilus pompilius)
This is a cephalopod mollusk considered a living fossil due to the historic period of the species (earliest fossils date back to the Early Pleistocene epoch). They have a developed and hard shell that can measure out between a few millimeters to 30 centimeters. Through the entrance of the shell, tentacles appear. The chambered nautilus lives at the lesser of the body of water and mainly feeds on fish or carrion.
6. Florida stone crab (Menippe mercenaria)
The Florida rock crab is a decapod crustacean which is distributed throughout the coasts of Central America and the Eastern Usa. The exoskeleton of the crab is a shell formed from quinine and calcium carbonate. These components are what requite the crab's beat its hardness, something present in various crustacean animals. This exoskeleton moves as they abound and includes claws and pincers.
seven. Reef lobster (Enoplometopus holthuisi)
Reef lobsters are a group of lobster species which are in the aforementioned family every bit crabs. They are characterized past their difficult shell which is spiny or shine, depending on the part of the torso. Generally, the carapace is smooth and the sines are on their legs and other parts, although it will depend on the private species. Enoplometopus holthuisi is pictured below where you can see cute distinct circular and striped markings. The lobsters alive on the reefs between xx and 80 1000 deep where they feed mainly on fish and carrion.
8. Sacred scarab (Scarabaeus sacer)
The sacred scarab is an insect which lives in the Mediterranean, inhabiting swamp areas and river banks. As with other protrude species, they take a difficult exoskeleton which acts as its shell. This exoskeleton is made up of diverse plates, similar to a adapt of armor.
Sacred scarabs are a type of dung beetle, perhaps the most famous type. Function of the reason for this is their links to Ancient Egyptian mythology as the fashion they roll balls of dung across the state was seen to represent Khepri, the god of the morning sun. The sun rolls across the heaven as this fauna rolls dung across the state.
9. Pacific cleaner shrimp (Lysmata amboinensis)
This animal with a crush is another crustacean on our listing. This type is a decapod crustacean which live on reefs located in the Pacific and Indian oceans. They measure up to 6 cm, have x legs and a exclusive body. Although they have a shell, it is not as difficult of some of their crustacean relatives. The shell of this animal starts at the brow and moves down the thorax, abdomen and tail with different exclusive plates. They feed past eating parasites off fish in a symbiotic nature.
10. American dog tick (Dermacentor variabilis)
An even smaller brute with a shell is the American dog tick, otherwise known every bit the woods tick. They are an ectoparasite in the mite family. They oftentimes feed on mammals such as dogs, cats and horses. They are notoriously difficult to become rid of. Part of the reason for this is their beat out which is part of their exoskeleton. This protects their internal organs, but since they are so small they are very robust. They feed on claret and can exist a vector for diverse diseases such as lyme disease.
Other animals with shells
Hither ends our list of x animals with shells. We have given a adept range of the types of animals which have a vanquish, but there are so many more than species which take this type of construction. They include:
- Mantis shrimp (Squilla mantis)
- Squat lobster (Munida gregaria)
- Velvet crab (Necora puber)
- European lobster (Homarus gammarus)
- Patagonian shrimp (Pleoticus muelleri)
- Death'south head cockroach (Blaberus craniifer)
- Cat flea (Ctenocephalides felis)
- Putter bug (Armadillidium vulgare)
- Nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus)
- Argentinian wood roach (Blaptica dubia)
- Carmine-footed tortoise (Chelonoidis carbonaria)
- Brown crab (Cancer pagurus)
- Xanthous crab (Metacarcinus anthonyi)
- Chilean king crab (Lithodes santolla)
- Dublin Bay prawn (Nephrops norvegicus)
- Light-green chiton (Chiton glaucus)
- Scaly foot snail (Chrysomallon squamiferum)
- Longhorn cowfish (Lactoria cornuta)
- Spiny spider crab (Maia squinado)
- Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis)
Autonomously from the armadillo, at that place are no other mammals with shells in the world. Their trounce is fabricated from similar material to a turtle'south shell. However, it is of import to note the difference between scales and shells. Some animals have hard scales which human action equally armor, but they are not shells. To know more you can find out nearly animals with scales on AnimalWised.
If yous want to read similar articles to Animals with Shells - Examples with Pictures, we recommend you lot visit our Facts well-nigh the creature kingdom category.
Bibliography
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- González de la Vega, JP (1989). Amphibians and reptiles of the province of Huelva . Mexico.
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- Chan, TY & Wahle, R. 2011. Enoplometopus holthuisi. The IUCN Red Listing of Threatened Species 2011: e.T185024A8352072. http://dx.doi.org/ten.2305/IUCN.UK.2011-1.RLTS.T185024A8352072.en. Downloaded on 08 September 2019.
- van Dijk, PP, Corti, C., Mellado, VP & Cheylan, M. 2004. Testudo hermanni. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2004: e.T21648A9306057. http://dx.doi.org/x.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T21648A9306057.en. Downloaded on 08 September 2019.
- van Dijk, PP, Harding, J. & Hammerson, GA 2011. Trachemys scripta (errata version published in 2016). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2011: e.T22028A97429935. http://dx.doi.org/ten.2305/IUCN.United kingdom.2011-ane.RLTS.T22028A9347395.en. Downloaded on 08 September 2019.
- Wells, Southward. 1996. Tridacna gigas. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 1996: e.T22137A9362283. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.1996.RLTS.T22137A9362283.en. Downloaded on 08 September 2019.
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