Jennifer Boothroyd - Shells: Body Coverings

Many people collect seashells as a hobby.

Choose a beach that allows shell collecting. Bring a bag or a pail to hold your shells.

Walk along the beach. Make sure the shells you find are empty.

Wash and dry your shells at home. Rub them with oil to make them shine.

Learn what kinds of shells you found. The photos on page can help.

Seashells are made from
layers of calcium carbonate. This material is also in bones.

Turtle shells are made of keratin. Your fingernails are made of the same material.

Most animals with shells do not
have a backbone.

Tortoises, turtles, and terrapins are reptiles with shells.

An armadillo is the only mammal with a shell.

Giant clam shells can grow to feet (1.2 meters) across.

Shells were used as money thousands of years ago.

A turtle never comes out of its shell. Its rib cage and backbone are part of the shell.

armadillo a mammal with a hard but flexible shell

mammal a warm-blooded animal that drinks its mothers milk

reptiles animals with backbones that breathe air through their lungs

shed to lose or fall off

shell the hard outer covering on an animals body

hermit crabs

lobsters

shed

snails

tortoise

turtles

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