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Anatomy of Tortoise


The Shell

The top of the shell (the carapace) should be smooth, feel firm to touch and have no obvious bumps or signs of injury.  A healthy tortoise will have signs of a growth ring, which appears as a pencil line thin palish band in between the bony plates (scutes) and above the lower, marginal scutes.

When holding a tortoise it should feel solid like a full pie, rather than light.

plastron diag
carpace

The Ears
The ears are located at the side of the head, just behind the jawline and the eye.  They are covered by skin and have the appearance of a round dark scale, which should be flat or concave.

ear diag molly
male
female
Anatomy-of-a-turtle
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