Carapace of tortoise

The characteristic of the tortoise S is to have a Carapace. They inherit this feature the Chéloniens. For the majority of them, their carapace is made of Os, cartilage and scale S themselves consisted of Kératine. The Trionychidae have as for them a soft carapace, because it does not synthesize a chératine. The Tortue lute has it a thick leather in the place of the scales. It is the same for Apalone will spinifera and the Carettochelyidae .
Malacochersus tornieri is a tortoise whose carapace, hardly ossified, is flexible. Living on rock slopes, it can thus slip into anfractuosities. It inflates air and the edges of its backing marry the reliefs of its hiding-place.

The tortoises can suffer surprisingly serious damage with their carapace.
Des deep cracks or losses of bone can cure. The lawn mower is enemy frightening but not forcing mortal for the domestic tortoises .

Description

General information

The carapace is made of two parts: The backing part and the ventral part or Drill plate. The osseous bridge connects the two parts. The osseous plates which compose it are called Ostéoderme S and are formed by the coasts, of the pelvic Ceinture and pectoral, of the Rachis which ensures the rigidity and the solidity of the carapace. The spinal column adheres to the carapace. The interior part of the carapace is formed of an about sixty bones traversed by nerves and blood-vessels, it is an alive body. The keratinized scales (when they are present) constitute a surface layer fine and recover in quincunx the dermic plates, which ensures a greater rigidity. The carapaces of the watery species are more punts than that of the terrestrial representatives and can not have scales but be covered with a thick leather. Moreover, to be lighter and nimbler in water, the carapaces of these tortoises are equipped with Fontanelle S. They are also more punts to be hydrodynamic. For other species still, the carapace is ossified little and thus soft.

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